The Long Way Back
by 1Pagan3
Summary: SEQUEL TO: THE LONG WAY HOME! AU! Sam and Dean are about to find out that sometimes the hardest thing isn't creating a home, it's finding your way back to it.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Alright... I have no idea if this one will be as good as the original, but I'm willing to give it a shot, how about you. Don't forget... this is the sequel to The Long Way Home, so if you haven't read it, you might want to.

Nowthen... Disclaimer: I own nothing of Kripke's creation or of the CW, WarnerBros, ect... I'm just playing with them, and will put them back when done... Thank you!!

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Sam hated that Jenna wasn't there today of all days, he wasn't sure he'd be able to give the speech without her. Sighing, he knew it wasn't her fault that she had come down with the flu, but he still missed her. It had been two months since the day on the beach and in that amount of time they had gotten closer; in fact his brothers kept teasing him about booking a church and finding a good caterer. Smiling, he couldn't help but find the whole idea amusing; he had classmates who's parents were trying to keep their kids apart, but his brothers and the Colonel seemed determined to push him and Jenna together.

"Hey Sam, you ready to do this?" Chad Montgomery asked giving him a playful punch on the shoulder.

Smiling and shaking his head at the same time, Sam knew that he would be next but didn't really want to do it. Everyone in the class had to pick a topic and write a speech defended their point of view. It wasn't that he hadn't done the research; it was that it was a topic that would shock most of the people who heard it. Most everyone thought he'd write about his condition and the problems that society brings upon those afflicted, but he knew that would be too easy so he thought of his own life and after a series of 'what ifs' sprung out a topic that had shocked Jenna so much she cried at the thought; his topic was about children growing up in families that don't want them and how they should be given to those who do. He hadn't talked to his brothers about it, in fact he made a point of not discussing it at all, but it had been something that he had been thinking about; how his life could have been so different, how it could have turned what he has now into something so wrong.

Pulled out of his musings, he realized that Mr. Franklin was calling his name. Taking a deep breath he stepped up to the podium and began his speech, hardly needing to look at his paper as he knew the statistics as if they were burned into his brain, knew first hand what an unloving parent could do when left unchecked, and knew how it felt to look into the darkness and know that the good things that you hear about are for other people not you. He knew these things, but wouldn't change any of his experiences because of the people he now had in his life; his brothers who were always there no matter what time of day or night or what the situation, a wonderful caring girlfriend who still had a softness about her even though she knew how harsh the world could be, friends who have already gone the extra mile to make sure that he was sheltered from as much censure as they could so he could continue to fulfill a promise. All in all, he was lucky and didn't mind letting everyone know about it.

By the time he was done, the whole class sat in silence and he wondered if maybe he had totally missed the point of the assignment. When Mr. Franklin continued to look at him strangely he decided that it was time to go to his desk, but the bell rang so he was able to grab his back pack and head out the door instead. Feeling the need to get some air, he ducked through the cafeteria to sit in the atrium and collect his thoughts. Somehow he knew that he shouldn't have done that particular topic, now everyone knew exactly how twisted he actually was.

"Dude, you think too much." A voice from the doorway commented as four figures moved closer to him.

Looking at Chad first, Sam shook his head. "I'm an idiot. Everyone else was doing topics like _Organic vs. Mainstream_ and _Recycle: Does it really help?_ What was I thinking?" he asked the group before looking at them. When he returned to school, not only were his brothers, the Colonel, Jenna and Vic expecting trouble, they were determined to walk him into the school and each class if they had to. When they reached the front steps, his teammates walked up to his entourage and respectfully, but firmly stated, "We'll take it from here." leaving no doubt as to what would happen if anyone messed with Sam. Now he was facing them after making the biggest fool out of himself, and it wasn't sitting well with him.

A scrawny kid not quite six foot tall yet smiled, "Sam, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Man, don't you get it, most of us only hear things like that on the news; it doesn't touch us. Hearing it from someone we know, it hits hard. You did good man, really."

Sam looked at Toby and wondered if they were giving him a hard time, but suddenly understood they were serious. Most of them never saw what life was like for thousands of people, to them life was a bunch of get together's including brunches and yachting, they had no idea what it was like to feel lucky at having a full meal in their stomach instead of bag of chips from a vending machine.

"Yeah Sam, you did real good, quit worrying. You keep this up and you'll get sick and not able to go with us to Regional's that's coming up."

Nodding, he knew they were right, he needed to let go of it. Taking a deep breath, he stood and smiled. "Ok, so who's got the excuse this time of why all of us are late to Mr. Dupree's seminar?"

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Dean knew that he was in trouble; he just had that feeling. After all, things had been going way too good for way too long. When he heard the Colonel yell his name, he couldn't help but sigh and hang his head for a moment before going into the office and closing the door. He knew what was coming, and he wasn't sure if he was ready.

"Dean, I need you to get ready to go. It's a simple pick up and drop off, but it's in South America and the diplomat is insisting on a military escort. I know you're worried about leaving Sam, but the other Musketeers will be here and I really need to know that everything is taken care of and I know that if anything does go wrong you can handle it."

'Yep, knew I wasn't going to like it.' Dean thought as he thought about what he was expected to do. 'Great, I leave my kid brother behind just so I can have the privilege of babysitting some pompass ass.'

Terrance knew that Dean didn't want to go, but that unfortunately was one of the reasons why he decided on him in the first place. He had noticed how much Dean had been staying at home more while his leg healed, but even after would barely leave the apartment unless he had to, which usually entailed chasing after Sam; and it was driving the younger boy nuts. They all knew that if Sam wasn't at school or the apartment then he was with Jenna, but for some reason Dean took it upon himself to make sure that his little brother was where he said he was, as well as making certain that no one would bother him while he was away from home. It had Sam looking over his shoulder every two minutes and that disturbed everyone else around him.

"Colonel, you know that I'll go anywhere that you send me, but what about…"

"Dean, you know that those brothers of yours aren't going to let anything happen to Sam. Now what's really going on? You've been acting like a nutcase ever since you got him back."

Dean couldn't tell the Colonel what really had him nervous, he'd be in lock down quicker than a wink; not that he'd really blame him for it, it was just too suspicious. John was dead, Bobby made sure that any and all remains were taken care of properly, but he knew that there was something after his little brother still and it was making him a nervous wreck. "Sir, I'm just worried about Sammy. He seems fine, but we all know that he'll put up a brave front just so he won't be a bother to anyone."

Nodding, Terrance knew that was true, but he'd also seen a difference in Sam, as if he was starting to see that he had others around him who cared about him and wanted to help. It was a nice change, one he'd been hoping for since the day he opened his front door in the middle of the night to a soaked and terrified Sam.

"Sir, I know you think I'm insane, it's just that…"

"With everything that's happened, you're wondering if the other shoe is going to drop, right?"

Shocked, Dean looked at the Colonel and wondered if the man could read minds. Fighting down the urge to yell _Christo_, he instead nodded and kept his mouth shut.

The Colonel nodded and smiled, "Dean, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't worry sometimes too; the kid's been through more in the last several years than most people deal with in their whole lifetime. That doesn't mean that you lose faith in him." he said, holding up his hand to shut Dean up. "You may not feel that you have, but he does. He's starting to think that you don't trust him to take care of himself even on the more basic of levels. You need to take some time and deal with this before you push him away."

Dean thought about that and wondered how he was supposed to do that. He'd failed his little brother so many times in the past, and now he was being told that he was being too protective. Looking at the Colonel he smirked, "So, is this my CO speaking or the hopefully Father in Law to be?"

Laughing, the Colonel dismissed Dean after giving him his orders and watched the other man walk out of his office. "Smart ass." He muttered in amusement.

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The guys knew what was going on, but they also knew that Sam was still in the dark and they didn't like keeping their little bro in that predicament. Looking over at Dean it was Joseph who finally spoke up.

"So Dean, you're leaving in the morning?" he asked while trying to choke down the vegan pizza that Mandy had made them for dinner.

Choking, Dean didn't know whether he should be happy that someone had brought the subject out in the open or pissed because it had happened before he had talked to Sammy about it. When he looked up he saw his little brother watching him carefully, making him realize something.

"You knew!" he practically exclaimed at Sam, making the other boy nod his head quietly. "Why didn't you say something?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders, "I figured if you wanted me to know, you'd tell me."

The others silently watched the sparse exchange take place and none were eager to interrupt, this was something the two were going to have to take care of themselves. Of course if they'd had their way about it Dean would have called Sammy up right away to let him know of what was going on. Instead the stubborn fool had waited until after a certain little brother had dragged himself home after track practice, checking on his girlfriend, and then meeting with a realtor about another possible investment property; the kid was already worn out.

Feeling a little sore about the subject, Dean looked away for a moment before he found his voice again. "Look Sammy, it's not that I didn't want to talk to you about it, it's just I think it's too soon for…"

"For what Dean? For me to be left by myself for more than fifteen minutes? For you to trust that I can take care of myself without having my big brother get me out of trouble? What Dean is it too soon for?" Sam yelled, too tired to rein in his temper and too stressed to stop the words from spilling out of his mouth.

"Wha… wait a minute… I never said I didn't trust you! Damn it Sammy, don't you get it, there could be more people out there thinking like Dad and you want me to just hand you over to them?" Dean yelled back shocking the other men into action.

"Ok you two, enough. It's one thing to have a discussion, but it's totally different if you're yelling at each other." Stephen said, while trying to diffuse the situation.

Sam stood up and was about to head towards his rebuilt room but was stopped when Dean sprung up and beat him to the door. Facing his brother all Sam could think of was getting out, and unfortunately someone was in the way. "Move!" he demanded, not thinking further than that one word.

"Not until we talk Sammy." Dean said, then saw the look on his little brother's face and understood that something else was going on. Taking one step to the side so his brother wouldn't feel completely trapped, Dean continued. "It's not that I don't trust you Sammy, I don't trust the rest of the world with you."

"Hey!" came the simultaneous response from the other Musketeers.

Dean was just about to make his apologies to his friends and brothers when the kitchen phone rang. He watched at Sammy coldly answered it, then suddenly slam down the phone before he rushed out the room.

Surprised, the others chased after him and managed to catch up to him on the landing as he was about to carry his bike down the stairs.

"Sammy, what the hell…" Dean began, all the while worried that someone else from John's past had caught up with his little brother.

"That was Celia, Jenna's been admitted!" Sam yelled as he raced out the door into the night leaving his brothers standing there stunned.

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AN: Well, how'd you like it so far??


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Sorry this one is so short, I'm feeling a little under the weather. Hope you still enjoy... let me know!

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Sam raced to the base hospital on his bike barely slowing down to check for traffic at intersections; his only concern was Jenna. When Celia told him that Jenna had been admitted his heart had stopped for a moment before everything rushed back into living color, pushing him to get to her as soon as possible. He had seen her earlier, right after track practice and he couldn't help but wonder how she had gotten so bad so fast; she had been feeling better, and had even laughed at his stupid jokes, a huge improvement over what had been occurring the previous couple of days.

Celia had warned him about visiting Jenna while she had the flu, apparently the family doctor and friend didn't think that he was back to his normal self just yet and wanted him to take extra precautions to make sure he didn't contract the virus as well. Although he had listened patiently, he disregarded her concerns knowing that there was no way he wasn't going to be there for Jenna when she needed him.

Stepping into the hospital corridor, Sam tried not to spiral into a panic attack. He hated hospitals, always had but especially so after being committed by a greedy doctor and his insane father. Pushing those memories behind him, he rushed forward and quickly found the Colonel and Celia talking in the hallway. When they saw him, they both looked worried, which scared him more.

"Oh God, please tell me she's alright. Please!" he practically begged. Jenna was more than his girlfriend, she was his best friend outside of his brothers and the thought of something seriously happening to her was crushing to him.

Celia saw the raw panic on Sam's face and knew that she needed to step in soon otherwise she'd have another patient on her hands. "Sam, she's stable, and yes she'll be fine. She was complaining of stomach pain and the lab tests came back inconclusive so we admitted her to try and find out why she's having such a hard time fighting this, ok?"

"So she's ok?" he asked, not fully understanding what the problem was then, and why Celia would have put Jenna in the hospital if everything was fine.

Terrence looked at Celia sternly before he faced the young man before him. "Sam, sit down, you look like you ran the whole way here." Seeing that he wasn't going to get the boy to do something that he didn't want to do, he nodded before he continued. "Sam, the test results haven't come back conclusive enough for an accurate diagnosis, but from what the radiologist saw and her symptoms, they're pretty certain son that Jenna has stage 2 ovarian cancer."

Sam stood there in the hallway in shock. He'd heard what the Colonel said, knew what it meant, but he felt almost detached from it; as if it was really happening to someone else and not to his sweet Jenna, it couldn't be happening to her – it just couldn't.

"Sam, why don't you sit down for a minute while I call the Musketeers for you." Celia said quietly as she guided him to a row of cushioned chairs in the hallway. She hadn't wanted to tell him until they were absolutely certain, but obviously the Colonel thought Sam could handle it; it looked like he was wrong.

"No… that's ok, you don't have to do that. Is she awake, can I see her?" he asked, trying to pull his thoughts together before they went spiraling out of control again.

Terrence pointed towards the door across the hall and nodded for Sam to go in, and then watched as the boy paused at the doorway, take a deep breathe then walk inside out of sight.

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Dean hated not knowing what was going on. Sure he was a Marine and mostly used to following orders when need be, but he was also smart enough to know what was going on so he could make the right judgment calls when warranted. Watching his little brother tear out of the apartment building after practically crawling into it barely an hour before made him replay their whole conversation, and the feeling he had was more than a little unsettling.

When Stephen, Joseph and Tyler raced back out of the apartment, Dean knew that they were just as determined as he was to find out exactly what was going on. At least this time they knew where he was going, this time they knew why he was rushing away from them. This they could handle, they just had to get there to make sure nothing happened to their little brother to make him crash and burn.

Screeching to a stop in front of the hospital entrance, it didn't take the four men long to get inside and follow the hallway in time to see a very dejected Sammy walk into a room with the Colonel looking on as if his world was falling apart. Quickly looking at each other, the guys knew that whatever it was, was big and bad and no amount of bullets was going to be able to keep the ones they loved from being hurt.

"Colonel, what's going on? How's Jenna?" Joseph asked, carefully watching the older man.

Shaking his head Terrence knew that these men would have been here even if Sam wasn't back with them. They had grown into a family of their own and although many didn't understand it, these young men were like sons to him; when one hurt, so did he. Now he knew they felt the same way, and they didn't even know yet why their heart was aching.

"Jenna's sick. We thought it was just the flu, but when she started complaining about stomach pain I brought her in. They did an ultrasound, which led to other tests, which led to another more in depth ultrasound and…" he tried to compose himself, but was quickly failing. "They're not sure, the results aren't in yet and they still have other tests to run but…"

"Colonel?" Dean asked, fearing that the young lady had somehow, someway fallen victim to the disease that claimed her mother and was waging a war with his brother. "Colonel, what's wrong with Jenna?"

The sound of someone yelling and something hitting a wall inside the room across from them brought them all out of their conversation with a stunned silence. It wasn't until they heard Jenna screaming for Sam to get out that they knew something was terribly wrong. It was Sam's answering yell that he wasn't going to let her go through it alone that brought everything to a head with her answering;

"I don't want you here, do you understand me Sam? Don't look at me like that, I refuse to feel sorry for you anymore – now get out!"

There was a moment that it seemed all movement and even time itself stopped, then the door opened and Sam rushed out not even taking a moment to look at his brothers or the Colonel; instead passing Celia without even acknowledging her presence, disappearing around the corner and back into the night.

Terrence didn't even hesitate. "Go, I've got Jenna, just make sure he doesn't take what she said to heart."

The Musketeers nodded as they rushed off expecting to have to chase after their Sammy, but was surprised to see him sitting on the bumper of the Suburban with his head in his hands.

"Sammy…" Dean began, but when he saw his little brother raise his head he knew that it was going to take more than just a little pep talk; Jenna had taken Sammy's heart and crushed it. "Ah Sammy, you know she didn't mean it, she loves you."

Sam looked at his brother as if he'd never seen him before, and then scoffed. "Yeah, she loves me so much she wanted to make sure I knew how much of a loser I am."

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Terrence walked into his little girl's hospital room and knew that his suspicions were correct; she did what she did to protect Sam. Sitting on Jenna's bed he coaxed the crying figure into his arms and let her cry until she started telling him all the awful things that he had told the young man that she loves with everything that she has.

"But I didn't mean it Daddy… I swear I didn't, but he can't be around me while I'm on chemo, it could kill him, right? I can't be the reason he dies Daddy, I can't!" she cried, hanging on to the last person she had to hang on to, the first one being the very one she sent broken out of her room.

"Jenna, listen to me. Sam is a lot tougher than you think, and there is nothing he wouldn't do for you." Terrence told his daughter and then shushed her before she interrupted. "You think that you are protecting him from your illness, but you wouldn't accept that from him would you? Of course not, you'd fight him tooth and nail to get back into his life. The difference is, you knew all of his weak spots and used them knowing what it would do to him. He still loves you sweetheart, and I know that he would take your place if he could, do you really want to take his choice to see you through this away just because of _your_ fears?"

Jenna thought about what her father said and understood what he meant. Sam had wanted to just remain friends out of respect and love for her because of his HIV status and it actually hurt her severely, then after finding out the truth she knew that she still wouldn't leave him; no matter what. Now she had done the same thing, only where he had used avoidance, she had gone on the attack and ripped his heart out. "Oh Daddy, what have I done?" she asked, as she started crying again, not out of fear for herself, but from the pain that she had caused her Sam.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry about the wait... one sick hubby and a little one coming down with something else has had me a little frazzled. Hope you enjoy this anyway! See you soon!

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Dean wasn't sure what to do. The look on his little brother's face spoke more than words ever would and it hurt not to be able to take the pain away. "Sammy, Jenna's scared; she's just lashing out. If anything right now we need to think about…"

Sam laughed as he wiped his face. "You know what Dean, I think what we need to do is go home and get you ready to go. Then if I'm up for it, I'll figure out what to do and deal with it." He said with a wry smile on his face. "Of course if I had the chance, I'd probably get drunk and not think about what's going on."

The musketeers were shocked and looked at each other before looking back at their little brother. "Sammy…" Taylor began, worried that the kid was going to do just that.

"Relax, I'm not going to… but after this, in another life, it would be tempting." Sam admitted. How many times had he snuck a drink or two to help dull the pain that his father had inflicted on him, how many times had he prayed for a release that never came? Now though his life was supposed to be better and all he could think about was how Jenna had been fooling him, making him believe that she cared when all the while she was just around him out of pity. "I'm heading home, I'll see you there."

As they watched Sam ride off on his bike, they couldn't get rid of the helplessness they felt. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was their little brother; but there he was with a broken heart and what appeared to be another blow to his already fragile ego.

Sighing, Stephen was about to open the Suburban doors when the Colonel came out and joined them.

"Jenna's calmer now, and she admitted she only said those things to try to keep Sam away. She's worried that with his HIV he'd get sick if he was around her while she's doing chemo." He said quietly, wishing more than anything that this hadn't happened; that his little girl wasn't sick, and the young man who became such a part of their lives wasn't hurting.

Dean nodded, but when he spoke it was with a firmness that shocked them all. "You do know that he's not going to just bounce back from this. Once he's hurt like that, that's it, there's no second chance. Colonel, we all see the gentleness that Sammy has, but he's been hurt too much too often, and we barely got through to him when we got him back. For this to happen now… I'm sorry sir, but I really don't see how things can go back the way they were for them, not now."

Terrence knew what Dean was saying, and had to agree. Jenna could have done anything else to Sam, and he would have brushed it off as if it was nothing; but to take his heart, after he gave it to her so trustingly, and cruelly break it, he wouldn't be able to get past it. What's more disturbing was he couldn't blame the boy.

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Sam rode home trying not to think about anything on the way. He didn't notice the cool air, the dogs barking, or even the traffic sounds that meant that one of the neighbors had finally finished rebuilding that engine. The ride home was a way for him to retreat into himself without completely getting lost, and it was the only thing he felt he could do to make sure he didn't completely fall apart.

He hadn't been joking when he told his brother's that a drink was tempting right now, but he wouldn't fall that low, he still had a promise to keep and part of that was to take care of himself; somehow mixing meds with alcohol didn't fall into that category. Not even aware that he'd reached the apartment, he numbly started up the sidewalk when he heard someone shout out his name.

"Hey Heather, something wrong?" Sam asked, wondering why she looked as if someone had kicked her dog, if she had a dog.

Heather looked at Sam and knew something had happened; he always had expressive eyes and tonight was no exception. "Are you alright? We noticed you rushed out of here and the guys followed you."

Not knowing exactly how to answer that without sounding as pathetic as he felt, he was trying hard to come up with something that wouldn't seem so bad without actually lying to her. Heather and her sister were more than landlords, they both were friends and he even thought that Amber had a crush on Dean, but he doubted if she'd ever admit it. He saw Heather look at him with a worried expression and didn't know how to answer her. Thankfully he was saved from thinking about it too much when the sound of the Suburban stopped close by.

The sound of the SUV doors shutting hurriedly echoed through the night bringing people to their windows to see what was wrong. As soon as they spotted the Musketeers however they all shook their heads and turned back to their evening rituals leaving the men outside to do their business. As the men in question glanced at their neighbor's reactions, they couldn't help but wonder if maybe they were a little more dramatic than they had ever thought. Seeing Sammy standing there talking to Heather made them wonder though if maybe they were just being paranoid, maybe everything was alright after all.

"I'm going to bed; I'll see you guys in the morning." Sam said quickly as he rushed into the apartment.

Looking at the others Dean shook his head. "Nothing's ever easy, is it?"

Heather looked at the group of men and asked quietly, "What happened? The only time he looks like that is when something happens with Jenna." The Musketeers looked at her stunned for a moment until she shook her head. "Look, I'm not an idiot. The only ones that can hurt us are the ones that we love and we all know that he loves her – a lot! So what did she do this time? Please tell me that she didn't bring up his illness again…"

Dean didn't know how to answer that, it wasn't that they had really been keeping Sammy's HIV status a secret, it just hadn't come up. "Uh, Heather, how do you know about Sammy?"

"You know sometimes you boys are just ridiculous. We've talked about it Dean, in fact he told me right after Jenna found out and had put her foot in her mouth. Now I'm going to ask again… what did she do now?"

"Jenna's sick and took her fears out on Sammy which he's taking to heart and won't accept that she didn't mean anything she said." Taylor said while looking up to see the light in the kitchen switch on. "Come on guys, if he's in the kitchen then he's actually fixing something decent to eat. God I love Mandy, but her idea of food _sucks_!"

Laughing their agreement, they agreed to talk more with Heather later and ran upstairs to see their little brother in the process of cooking bacon and slicing tomatoes. As they watched, it looked more like he was attacking the fruit than actually slicing them, but they understood that the frustrations he'd been holding in the last couple of weeks were starting to surface.

The Track and Field Regional's that Sam and his teammates had been so pumped up about had been rescheduled twice do to the excessive rainy weather they'd been having lately, coupled with the surprise that he'd been trying to arrange for Dean falling through, and now Jenna acting the way she was, he was more than a little tense. All he wanted was to have a chance to give something back to his brother's, to not be a burden, while at the same time possibly enjoy his life; maybe it was too much to ask, maybe…

"Uh Sammy, I think they surrender." Taylor joked, bringing Sam's attention back to the tomatoes that he had basically butchered.

Looking at the mess on the counter Sam could only reply with a "damn" before his brothers started laughing and gathering up the rest of the items they needed for the BLT's. As he watched, he saw them all pitch in to finish their late dinner and help him clean up the pulverized mess on the counter top. Watching them, he knew that he wasn't alone and that he was a lot luckier than he had ever been before.

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Dean hated the idea of going off on a mission, even a cakewalk like this one, while everything was happening at once at home. He'd already stayed up late with Sammy and made sure that everything was settled and taken care of on that front, while at the same time sending not so subtle signals to the other brothers that everything had better still be good when he got home. He knew about the car that his little brother had tried to surprise him with, and he also knew that the deal fell through when the guy started poking his nose into their business. Sammy still didn't know the real reason why the guy backed out of their negotiations, but Dean made sure that the guy knew not to screw with people like that again; especially for some close minded view that he had.

"Don't worry Dean, we got him. He'll be fine while you're gone, and hopefully it'll be an easy mission so you can get back and help him blow out his candles." Stephen said with a smirk.

It had been unanimously agreed amongst the Musketeers that Sammy would have a good old fashioned birthday party, adapted for his age of course, but it would have a cake with ice cream and all the friends they could cram into the apartment and backyard. Katie and Celia were planning it, while the guys were going to implement it, and they knew that they wouldn't fail in making their little brother's sixteenth birthday one that he'd remember forever. Of course it helped that Sammy had no idea what they were planning and had sworn all friends to secrecy in hopes of giving him the biggest surprise ever.

"Yeah, I know. It's just… we got him back and now I have to go and…"

"Dude, chill out… you're going on an escort mission, not to the moon." Joseph said as he smiled at Dean's antics. They all knew what Sammy had been through, and what he was facing now; so for him to start acting as if they hadn't a clue what to do was so far out of left field it was easy to be amused.

Sam walked in just as Dean was playfully flipping them off, making the youngest of the group look at them all as if they had lost their minds. Shaking his head, he walked over to get a carton of milk before he leaned against the refrigerator. "So, you're heading out this morning." He stated calmly while looking at his big brother. "Do you have everything… toothbrush, toothpaste, underwear, condoms…"

The guys had thought it was amusing until Sammy had gotten to condoms and then an epidemic of coffee spewing occurred, making a mess of the kitchen floor. As they all looked up at their little brother in shock they noticed his much too innocent gaze before he spoke again.

"What? You can never be too careful… that's what you use to cover your rifle barrel in the rain, right?" Sam asked, trying hard not to laugh, but it was becoming increasingly difficult with the aghast looks he was receiving.

It took Dean a moment before he understood that little brother was having some fun at his expense; not that he didn't deserve it, it was just an unexpected surprise. "Alright, wisenheimer… you've had your fun for the day. How about you get ready for school and we'll drop you off on the way to the base?"

Laughing as he headed towards his room, Sam felt a lot better. He knew that no matter what, he had his brother's; and that made everything alright.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks again to Sammygirl1963 who always holds my hand during a new story or idea. I hope everyone is still enjoying it. Take care!

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Ok, everything was supposed to be alright. Nothing bad was supposed to happen because he had his friends at school, and his brothers at home. So the question of how his day got so messed up was still something that he didn't have an answer for. Sam looked around the cafeteria and saw the stares, glares, and would be death ray glances that he was getting and had no idea what was going on. His only consolation was the fact that Vic and his teammates hadn't deserted him during this confusing moment; in fact, they seemed more determined than ever to make sure no one bothered him.

"Would someone mind telling me what's going on?" he finally asked after the fifth person 'accidentally' bumped into him while he was trying to eat his lunch. Looking around the table he saw the uncomfortable looks and suddenly it fell into place. "Oh you have got to be kidding! She dumps me and I get left holding the bag?" he asked incredulously. It was bad enough that his brothers had witnessed what had happened between him and Jenna, but now the whole school was speculating and apparently they didn't want to be bothered with the truth.

Vic shrugged his shoulders and looked around before answering. "Sorry about this Sam, but you have to understand, to them you're the outsider and much more likely in their opinion to be the bad guy here."

Sam had already suspected as much, but he'd really thought that someone would at least ask for his side before judging him. Losing his appetite, Sam packed the remainder of his lunch into his backpack and picked up his phone. He knew that Dean was already gone so he wouldn't be able to talk to him, but that didn't mean he was alone in this. Unfortunately, he wasn't prepared for his other three brothers to be occupied to the point of turning off their cell phones.

"Hey Sam, don't worry about it. Pretty soon someone will actually ask Jenna and she'll set everyone straight, ok?" Chad said, trying hard to sound upbeat, but inwardly cringing at the thought of what his friend had to be feeling right about now. The whole school was buzzing about how Jenna's flu was really cancer and that she and Sam had broken up. Of course with the previous trouble that Sam had been in, it had been easy for a lot of the others to take Jenna's side even though she had no idea what was going on. He, Vic, Toby and David had already decided that there was no way Sam would have broken things off with her, but they had no way of convincing the others until Jenna came back to school, and even then they weren't sure the others would listen.

Chuckling, Sam shook his head. They had no idea about what happened between him and Jenna, and he wasn't going to elaborate, he still couldn't think about the things she said without tearing up and that was something he was determined not to do. He was a Winchester, and after all the things he'd seen, done and been through, he wasn't going to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing him cry ever again. Looking around the table, he knew that he had some good friends, but at the moment even they were starting to grate on his nerves. "Hey guys, I appreciate it, but uh… I'm going to head home early. Do you think you can cover for me?" he asked, hoping that they wouldn't ask why he was leaving. He was more than a little surprised by the unanimous answer though.

"Nope, sorry." Chad said while the others shook their heads in agreement. When Sam looked at them with first puzzlement, then dejection, he smiled. "Can't cover for you if we're all skipping, right guys?"

Ten minutes later, they were piled in Toby's BMW and heading towards San Diego on the freeway; it might be raining, but it seemed to be the perfect day for going to the beach.

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The Colonel had a rough night with Jenna and now he had to face off via telephone with a Congresswoman who seemed determined to make his and others lives miserable. It had taken over half an hour to explain to Marcie Tolliver exactly why her escort wasn't there yet, and another hour to listen to her complain about not having the proper equipment to undergo her 'research'; even though the Colonel was pretty sure that the only reason why Ms. Tolliver had even bothered with the trip was because she'd never been to South America and was using a proposed Free Trade issue as an excuse to go.

"Congresswoman, I assure you that your escort will be there as the itinerary states… I understand ma'am… yes ma'am… thank you ma'am."

As he finally hung up with the woman he cringed at the thought of what Dean was going to have to endure while in the presence of someone so damn superficial; it always amazed him that she'd ever been elected in the first place. Now though all he wanted to do was sit back for a minute and enjoy the quiet.

"Colonel, Pembridge Academy on line two for you."

Groaning, he couldn't help but wonder what the problem was now. It had been months since the Dean of Students was notified that John Winchester had been posing as a janitor to gain easy access to Sam, and since then the other man had taken it upon himself to make sure that any out of the ordinary circumstance was brought to his attention immediately. Reaching over he pressed the speaker button in hopes that it would be quick so he could get down to the ever pressing business of warding off a headache.

"Erickson here." He growled, hoping to make the point that now was not the time for some petty issue.

"_Colonel, I'm glad I was able to reach you. Samuel Winchester as well as several other boys left the school grounds. Now I understand that you believe there is not threat towards the boy at the moment, but I wanted to inform you that he still must abide by all school policies; including the policy of skipping classes."_

Hearing that, Terrance groaned inwardly while at the same time worrying that maybe they had missed something. "Mr. Cummings, did anything happen at the school today that might have upset Sam or one of the other boys?"

There was a slight pause before the heavy sigh was heard through the speaker. _"Colonel, I'm afraid that news of your daughter's condition has made its rounds and unfortunately made young Samuel out to be a villain. The rumor has it that the boy found out about Jenna's cancer and broke off their relationship with her."_

"WHAT! How the hell can something like that spread so damn fast?" he bellowed, no extremely worried about Sam. "Mr. Cummings, I assure you that if there was any breaking off of any relationship, it was my daughter doing it for all the wrong reasons."

"_I understand sir; however that does not chance the fact that Samuel is not here and that makes it a suspendable offense." _Eugene Cummings said, actually sounding remorseful for it.

"Wait, I thought first offenses were categorized with detention being one of the first options. Has something else happened that we need to be aware of?"

The Dean of Students was quiet for a moment before he confessed, _"No, nothing except several parents are threatening the school if we do not limit their children's exposure to the boy. I'm sorry Colonel, but you knew what it was going to be like for him here and unfortunately there's not too many people who are willing to see him as a person instead of as a risk."_

Terrance had no idea how long he sat there thinking about the conversation he just had, and he still had no way of knowing how he was going to tell the musketeers that Sam had taken off.

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Dean hated escort duty and today was no exception. The itinerary he'd been given basically made him out to be a tourist on the way back home to Washington, D.C. and only very loosely shadowing the Congresswoman on the rest of her trip. Normally that wouldn't be too bad; except this particular woman was driving him nuts and he hadn't even met up with her yet.

He knew from the reports he'd read and the interviews she'd granted, Marcie Tolliver was a self serving person who's answer to the world hunger problem would have been 'let them eat cake' if that line hadn't been already taken. No, Ms. Tolliver was spoiled to the point of complete decay and even at the age of forty something didn't seem to have the maturity to understand the true complex issues that faced people from all walks of life. In fact it was widely believed that the only reason she got into office was because of the blitz campaign that she ran basing herself as the 'American Girl Next Door', and it wasn't until she'd actually got in office that people realized that they had elected someone who had no idea what the issues were and even less about how to try to help.

Getting off the plane, he grabbed his bag from the overhead compartment and walked down the steps onto the tarmac. Not liking the fact that he was now in the middle of nowhere, he could only smile at the thought that someone like the congresswoman had to be feeling a lot worse of than he was.

It still took him two hours to get to the small villa she was staying, and at that point he was tossing around the idea of resigning when he came face to face with woman and knew that it was a definite possibility.

"Where have you been? I have been stuck in this hellhole for a week, and I am more than ready to go home where it is nice and civilized." She complained as she pushed her damp hair out of her eyes. "So you're Don, right? Well Don you need to make sure everything is secure before we leave and a car will be here in an hour."

Dean watched her stalk off yelling at someone in another room and had to wonder just what exactly was so horrible in his previous life that he deserved to be saddled with someone like her even for a couple of days. After a moment of consideration, he quickly decided that he really didn't want to know. As he looked at his watch he wondered what his little brother was doing and how the others were handling everything while he was gone.

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Stephen was worried and knew the others were too. It had been three and a half hours since the Colonel had told them that Sammy had taken off from the school, and explained what the consequences could be. None of them had realized that the other phones had been turned off, so when that information was added to what they knew they all were pretty sure that if Sammy had tried to call, then he would have probably felt alone in dealing with whatever problem came up at school. It didn't help his nerves though to realize that Sammy wasn't answering his phone at the moment.

Taylor had tried to put a trace on their little brother's phone, but with him not using it, it was next to impossible to get a fix on his location. What frustrated him more was he had actually thought about putting a small tracer in the kids unit just for such an emergency. Now though all they had to go on was that he was with some friends and at the moment they weren't sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.

Knowing Sammy the way he did, Joseph was trying to figure out where he'd go with a few of his friends. He suspected Vic was with him and that made him feel a little bit better, since the kid had stuck by Sammy this long. Now though he wasn't sure where to start looking. Suddenly he had an idea and could have kicked himself for not thinking about it sooner. Reaching for his phone he called the number on the back of one of the house listings, impatiently waiting for the woman to answer. Looking up he saw both Taylor and Stephen looking back at him with expectation and he knew that they were as jumpy as he was about their little brother going AWOL on them. 'Dean's gone one day and all hell tries to break loose.' He thought as the asked the realtor if she had any appointments with his brother today. Smiling, he gave the others a thumb's up and cut the call.

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Sam knew that Toby didn't want to just drop him off, but it was a lot better than them roaming through the house he was trying to finalize a deal on. The realtor had called him as soon as she was asked to be the listing agent stating that she knew he was looking for another investment property and that the people were anxious to sell; that had been a month ago and today they were supposed to do a final walk through with the inspectors and if everything worked out then the final papers would be signed and he could add house number two to the company's list.

Sighing, he watched the tail lights fade from sight and felt the loneliness creep on him once again while at the same time trying to fight it off citing that his brothers would be home by the time he got there and they could hang out all night. He missed Dean already, and the more he tried to deny it the more he knew that he missed Jenna too.

Seeing the realtor's car in the driveway along with a truck that he assumed was the inspector he let himself inside and started to walk around the small house that had once been a home to a family. He didn't have all the details, but he got the impression that there as an illness in the family and they needed to move to be closer to that person. He knew now how close a family had to be in order to uproot themselves like that and he could actually smile at the idea of whoever it was was loved a lot.

So lost in his own thoughts he didn't realize he had company in what once was a nursery until he heard the sounds of scuffling behind him. Swinging around suddenly, he was ready to put up a fight until he saw his brothers standing there vying for first crack into the room. Stunned, he watched them for a moment before laughing at the absurd sight.

"Uh guys… how about we all go in the living room, it's a lot bigger." Sam said as a joke, but suddenly froze when his brothers asked a question he had been completely unprepared for.

"Where the hell have you been?"


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Hey everyone... hope you like this one. I know... not a _whole_ lot of action, but I'm hoping it's enough to keep you coming back for more... let me know!!

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Sam stood face to face with three of his brothers and wondered what he did wrong. In fact, at the moment he couldn't even think of anything that he'd done to get this type of reaction. He was planning on going home early but a couple of his friends had decided to tag along and take him to a beach in San Diego instead, it wasn't much, but he had to admit he felt better; or at least did.

"Uh… with a couple of friends in San Diego, is something wrong?" he asked, truly not understanding what the problem was.

Stephen was trying to stay calm but even his patience was nearing its end and he could only imagine what the other guys were itching to do to the kid. Looking at Sam though, he knew that they all needed to tread lightly mainly because this was something that they hadn't had to deal with before. Sure Sammy had taken off before, but it was usually only during extreme stress and from what they had heard from the Colonel, today would surely qualify. Now though, they needed to find out exactly what he was doing and if he was actually alright.

"Sam, have you had a chance to talk with the inspector yet?" a voice echoed through the hallway. When the musketeers turned, they saw a smartly dressed woman with a big smile. "Hello, I'm Joanna Holiday; you must be Sam's brothers."

Knowing what was about to happen, Sam cringed at the thought of being yelled at in front of someone he did business with, and automatically started looking at the floor willing them to hurry up and get it over with. When nothing happened though, he took a chance and looked up to see Stephen speaking with the realtor while Joseph and Taylor watched him. Finally Stephen nudged both of the other men and motioned for them to follow while smiling at Sam.

"Hey, we'll be outside when you're done here, ok?" Stephen said, wanting his little brother to know they weren't mad and would wait to finish the conversation.

Watching them leave, Sam had to once again wonder just what was going on. He was too used to people getting angry over the smallest of things, but that didn't seem to be the case now. Shaking his head, he tried to focus on what Ms. Holiday was saying while they met up with the inspector, but he noticed the headache that was starting to form behind his eyes and he prayed it would wait until at least he got to the Suburban.

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Jenna couldn't believe what she had been told; in fact at first she thought it was a joke. How anyone could believe that her Sam was so cruel to dump her after finding out she had cancer was just idiotic, and she went so far as to tell Missy Sumner that very thing. It always amazed her how people could quickly spread a rumor as fact, but never once take a minute to find out the truth behind it. Sighing, she reached over and picked up her school directory and positioned herself more comfortably; it looked like she had a lot of calls to make.

Terrance knew his daughter would do whatever she could to make sure everyone knew that whatever had happened between her and Sam wasn't his fault. What she hadn't learned yet was the damage was already done, they had already formed their opinion and it wouldn't be easy to get them to change it. Knowing it was going to be a long night, he walked into the kitchen to make some dinner in hopes of getting some of it down his little girl; he couldn't lose her to this disease, he just couldn't. Taking a deep breath he knew that the doctors wanted to operate soon, but Jenna insisted on getting all the information first before she started to think about everything. If it wasn't for the fact that she was his baby girl, he would have been proud of such an intelligent response. As is was though, he wanted to pick her up kicking and screaming all the way back to the hospital until they said it was all a mistake. The sound of Jenna screaming broke into his train of thought, sending him into the living room where he found her crying as she clutched her phone in her hand.

"They don't believe me Daddy, they think I'm making it up so Sam won't have to quit." Jenna cried out, wishing more than ever she had kept her mouth shut.

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The Musketeers watched as their little brother signed a stack of pages and wondered if the kid really bothered to read all of them or just hoped that someone didn't pull a fast one on him. It had taken half an hour for Sammy to talk to the inspector, the realtor, and sign the pages; by that time they knew the kid was in trouble.

Rushing to Sammy's side, Joseph saw the strain in the kid's face and had to wonder what exactly it was that put it there. Trying not to show that he was worried, he instead tried to crack a joke, but it seemed to go right over little bro's head which made them all worry even more. Not bothering to ask, Stephen helped Sammy get inside before rushing around and starting the Suburban up. Ten minutes later they were pulling up in front of the apartment and it looked like they got there just in time as Sammy pushed the door open and immediately lost his lunch on the pavement.

Taylor knew the kid had looked pale and drawn when he'd finished up his business with the house, but they all though it was just nerves about them having a discussion; now though they suspected something else entirely. Helping Sammy inside, they all hovered around him on the couch hoping that somehow the kid would be able to convey what he needed. Instead he lay there in complete agony while his eyes moved rapidly behind his eyelids. Something was going on, they just didn't know what.

Stephen and Joseph slipped off to the kitchen to fix a light dinner in hopes that whatever was going on with their little brother, food would help. As the walked back into the living room, they saw Taylor trying to wake Sammy and that worried them more than anything.

"What's wrong?" Joseph asked, rushing to the side of the couch. Nothing seemed to be working, whatever was going on was keeping Sammy trapped, and they had no idea what to do to pull him out.

Suddenly, without warning, Sam bolted straight up screaming his big brother's name before once again losing the contents of his stomach, this time all over the couch. Looking around, he wasn't able to distinguish his dream from the apartment and that scared him more than anything. At the moment though he was too tired to care.

"Damnit Sammy, what the hell?" Joseph exclaimed, watching with increased worry about what was happening to their littlest brother. For all intents and purposes, it looked just like one giant nightmare gone haywire, but something in Sammy's expression made Joseph worry that something else was going on. "Sammy, hey… Sammy, come on we need to talk to you. What's wrong?"

Crying softly, Sam opened his eyes to see Stephen, Taylor and Joseph, but no Dean and that terrified him. "Where's Dean?" he asked softly, silently praying that he was wrong, that it was just a nightmare and that he was being paranoid. Seeing the worried looks, he asked again, "Has Dean made it to where he was going; is he alright?"

Not knowing how to answer that question, they could only assume that everything was alright considering they hadn't heard anything to the contrary. "Sammy, Dean's fine, we're more concerned about you. What happened, are you ok?" Taylor asked, still truly freaked out about what happened.

Smirking, Sam tried hard to make light of the subject, but sensed it didn't work when he casually said, "As long as he's not in the middle of a rain forest with a woman who's more high maintenance than me, then I'll be fine."

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Dean was in hell. That was the only explanation for what was happening. Somehow he was supposed to stay out of Congresswoman Tolliver's way while at the same time anticipating her every need; it was not a good day. Now though he was being chastened by the very same woman for booking them on a flight from South America to Washington D.C. with only two stops, her only concern was sharing space with everyone else. His complaint was the plane looked older than him and the congresswoman put together, if that was possible.

The object that they were insisting was going to fly looked to be an old DC-10 that had obviously seen better days, unfortunately those days weren't anywhere close to today and that had him worried. He might jump out of perfectly good aircraft when it warranted, but that didn't mean he wasn't still jumpy about boarding anything that looked like it was overdue for the scrap yard.

It had taken them several hours before they were allowed to board, and in that amount of time Dean was having second thoughts about this whole assignment anyway. There had been no threats on her life, but she still insisted on being escorted home as if she was some prized national treasure that needed guarded no matter the cost.

'I can get off and find a better plane to go home in. Sure and then what would I do after the Colonel got hold of me.' He thought fiercely, trying hard not to think of the consequences should he decide to follow through. Before Dean could think anymore about it, they were airborne with Dean humming Enter Sandman as they climbed higher. Thankfully the congresswoman ignored him which gave him time to think even more about the rusted out sardine can they were inside of. Forty five minutes though the sound of warning sirens from the cockpit could be heard and it didn't take Dean long to understand that aircraft warnings and the Andes mountains didn't mix.

Reaching over, he forcibly put Ms. Tolliver into the crash position all the while telling her to 'sit down and shut up.' As the cockpit sounds got louder, Dean started to sift through all his tangled thoughts, coming to two conclusions; one: he let Sammy down, and two: they were going to die.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I know this is short, but I hope you all enjoy it anyway! Take care... see you again soon!

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Dean needed a break, he really did. Never in his life had he ever had to deal with such a demanding person; not even when he was living with John. As he stood out in the rain he was thankful that the woman had decided to stay inside the wreckage, of course her main reasoning was that she didn't want to ruin her outfit anymore than she had already. As he scanned the area again he couldn't get over the fact that they survived. The plane had basically bounced when it hit the ground causing the fuselage to split into two pieces. Now there were people milling around trying to gather up food from the forest to help tide them over until help arrived.

Looking back at the portion he was currently having to claim as home, he cringed at the thought of having to spend too much time with the Congresswoman. Not only had she decided immediately that this whole incident was his fault, but she had already declared that when they got back to the States he was going to replace her belongings. 'Yeah, fat chance of that lady.' He thought smugly, knowing that once he told the whole story of her conduct she wouldn't have too many friends on Capital Hill.

Thinking about the last several hours gave him a headache, but the way she had treated the people who were already hurt was appalling. Somehow he didn't think her supposed colleagues would like to be associated with someone who refused to share supplies with injured women and children. Thinking about the children actually made his thoughts switch to his brother and how he hoped they'd get back soon; he had a party to plan.

"Excuse me… _Mr._ Winchester, if you could possibly be torn away from whatever meager thoughts you were entertaining for a moment and come help me find my bags, then I would greatly appreciate it." Marcie Tolliver said with such condescension that Dean wanted to push the woman into a mud puddle and walk out of the rainforest by himself.

Sighing, he took another look at those around him trying to make the best of the situation and wished that these could be different circumstances, mainly minus one certain woman in an Armani pant suit.

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Sam had no idea what was going on. One minute he was enjoying a conversation with Chad and the next he was being called a name that he'd had to think about to decide which definition he was supposed to use. Chad and Toby had instantly stood up and challenged the person to show their face. When nothing happened both boys grudgingly sat back down and attempted to get their friend to discuss what was really on his mind.

"Look guys, I really appreciate it, but it's nothing… I'm just tired, that's all." He said, trying to lighten the already tense mood.

Chad wasn't having any of it; he already heard the rumors making the rounds and knew that there was no way that his friend hadn't heard the same things. "Sam, look we understand that things look bad right now…"

The sound of Sam's laughter made Chad taper off what he was saying and look at Toby in concern. After a moment, Sam quieted and with a wide smile shook his head. "Come on man, do you really think I care what these people think of me? The only reason why I'm here is to keep a promise to my brothers; otherwise I'd drop out and get my GED." When his friends looked at him in horror, he smirked, "It's not the end of the world, really… been there done that. You two need to relax more."

Toby looked between Chad and Sam and wondered how they could have misread the signs so badly. They had thought their friend was bummed out because of what was being spread around about him, but now they find out that he's been ignoring it; which left the nagging question of what was really wrong. "Ok, so it's not the morons pushing you, so what is it?"

Suddenly the cafeteria got quiet which grabbed the boys' attention. When they looked over they saw Jenna walking to a table with a couple of her friends. As everyone watched if something was going to happen between her and Sam she stopped suddenly and looked over to the boys wishing she was anyplace else. Just as she started to get even more uncomfortable than she ever had been before in her life, Sam stood and walked to her, taking her tray from her hands and escorting her to a table away from the gawkers. After helping get her settled he turned to walk back to his table when she called out to him.

"Sam, please wait! I'm so sorry, please let's try to work this out." Jenna cried out, hoping to sway him.

Sam paused a moment before he turned back to her, "Jenna, there's nothing to work out. I love you, but I don't trust you." Having said that, he bypassed his friends and walked out of the cafeteria and away from the stares that followed him out the door.

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The Musketeers watched the command screen showing where the last transmission from the DC-10 was, and the areas that was suspected where they landed or more precisely crashed. Now all they had to do was convince the Colonel to let them in on the rescue effort. Then again, they knew that they had neglected one little detail… they still hadn't told little bro what was going on. They had walked onto the base with the Colonel waiting with the news and since they didn't have any other information had unanimously decided not to worry Sammy until they could do something about it.

Stephen knew that they all wanted the green light to be a part of the search and rescue effort, but there was more pressing matters for them at the moment… someone needed to stick around and look after Sammy. He was worried that once the news spread about Dean's plane going down, then little bro would revert back to his old self and that was something that none of them wanted. Something else bothered him, something that no one else in the room needed to overhear, but it needed to be addressed quickly. Looking around the room he motioned for the others to join him away from the other personnel so they could discuss everything quietly. Making sure no one could hear them, he looked at the others. "Guys, I think we have a bigger problem than just missing Dean, I think this was Sammy's nightmare."

Joseph and Taylor thought Stephen was joking until he thought about what Sammy had said the night before. After putting it into perspective they knew they needed to talk to the kid soon before someone else did. Rushing out the door, they were determined to fill Sammy in and let him know that it wasn't his fault, then they all were going to sit down and try to figure out what they were going to do with a teenage psychic.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Hope you all enjoy... take care!

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Sam was glad that no one followed him because he really didn't need anyone witnessing his little meltdown at the moment. Wiping his eyes he couldn't get the scene in the cafeteria out of his head and he just needed a few moments to pull himself together before everyone in the building saw what a pathetic loser he really was. He still loved someone who obviously didn't love him enough not to use every painful issue in his head. Sighing, he was about to go towards his next class when he heard his name being called over the school's PA system to report to the office immediately.

"Oh come on, what now?" he asked as he double checked his appearance in one of the outer windows since he knew the Dean would take great pleasure in pointing out anything out of place in his uniform. Satisfied, he made his way through the halls ignoring the gawking stares of the other students. Apparently the scene that happened only minutes ago had already been told and retold making the only person unsure of what had really happened in the cafeteria the very person trying his hardest to get to the office to find out what was so damn important that he was being pulled out of class… _again_.

Taylor hated this school not to mention the pompous ass that seemed to enjoy the thought that their Sammy would possibly be gone for the next couple of days. He had really started to believe that little bro had settled in at the school, but now it looks like they were just fooling themselves, and that worried him. As he looked to Stephen and Joseph he could tell they were thinking the same thing and that they would need to discuss what was really going on with Sammy after they got some good news about Dean.

The secretary knocked and announced that Sam was there before letting him inside the office. It took them all a moment before the situation really hit home, the Musketeers didn't want to tell Sammy, Sam didn't want to hear what they had to say, and Mr. Cummings didn't want to waste anymore time in the attempt to make his point that Samuel would be much happier in a public school, preferably one of those alternative schools for 'at risk' kids.

Stephen had no idea how he was supposed to broach the subject but knew they needed to say something since standing there staring at each other wasn't doing much good. Joshua finally had enough and spoke hesitantly.

"Sammy, we need to get home. Do you need to get your books or anything?" he asked, hoping that the kid hadn't put it together yet, but as usual their little bro was already a step ahead.

"Dean's missing?" Sam asked, looking at each of his brother's and silently prayed that he was wrong, that Dean was pulling some sort of stunt like he used to; was playing hooky from work and wanted him to come along.

The silence was oppressive for a moment until Mr. Cummings spoke with such a false sincerity that Taylor forced himself not to move to reduce the risk of knocking the little man out.

"Mr. Winchester, under the circumstances you are excused from classes this week. I'll make sure your instructors are informed and that your assignments are forwarded to you." Mr. Cummings said while making notes at his desk effectively dismissing them from his office.

Stunned, Sam walked out into the reception area, back out into the hallway before exiting the building, not bothering to make sure his brothers were with him. Dean was missing and he had a horrible feeling that he had been in a plane at the time somewhere around a rain forest. The familiar feeling of guilt started to build and he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he had had his nightmare before Dean left.

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Dean could finally breathe and he was going to take full advantage of it. The witch had decided to take a nap to 'rejuvenate' herself which he was certain would never happen considering how unhappy she had to have been to begin with. She reminded him of a vindictive spirit that he and Sammy had dealt with a long time ago in Boise, Idaho. The spirit refused to move on because her boyfriend had actually found a way to carry on without her and she spent every moment making his life hell just so he wouldn't have a moment's peace. It had taken Sammy getting slammed through a wall and Dean using all the rock salt they had before John was able to banish her so they all could go to the hellhole they were calling home that night.

Thinking about that night made him automatically think about Sammy again and he could only hope that he hadn't found out what happened. 'Yeah, 'cause lady luck's been so kind so far.' He thought sarcastically, rolling his eyes as his mind quickly reviewed what had occurred since they had found his little brother again. Shaking the memories away, he moved swiftly towards the other people to try and help as many as he could before the Queen of Hearts woke up. Heaven forbid they actually tried to make others more comfortable.

A little girl of about six years old was holding a baby in her lap as she cried. Dean had been told that her name was Maria and her mother had been killed when she had tried to shield her children from the falling bags and crates. Now little Maria had to take care of herself and her baby brother until help arrived and took them to her Grandmother in the States. Sitting in front of her, Dean wondered if there was more to this little girl's life than what others assumed. Did she want to be a ballerina when she grew up, or was she hoping to be a doctor and planned to find the cure for cancer?

"Hey Maria, how are you and your brother?" he asked, hoping for more of a respond this time. When she didn't say anything, he reached out and pulled the blanket back to see the sleeping baby oblivious to the turmoil occurring outside of his dreams. Smiling, Dean nodded as if they were in a conversation, not wanting to break off contact with the little girl. "Ok, so you're playing hard to get. I understand, but I have to tell you, my heart belongs to someone else. Of course I bet that if I saw you smile, then all that would be over with and I'd have to tell Katie good-bye."

"It's nice of you to try, but as you can see she does not respond."

The voice didn't startle him; he was getting used to people stopping and talking to him as if he had the answers, or in this case was completely useless. Turning his head he saw the older woman who seemed to enjoy her role as matriarch to the ragtag group. Of course if he lived as long as her, then he's probably be proud too.

Smiling, Dean slightly shook his head. "Mrs. Sanchez, hasn't anyone told you that eavesdropping is a sin?" he asked, knowing that he was about to get a surprise.

Laughing, the old woman merely stated, "If I cannot have this one vice, what good is going to confession once a week?"

Dean knew that he would never win with her and didn't even try. Mrs. Sanchez apparently had seen more in her life than others thought possible, and she wasn't shy to let others know it. He knew there was something on her mind, so he waited until she settled herself on the trunk of tree.

"As you know food has been gathered from the forest as well as what could be found from the planes. However, we need to know how long you believe it will be before we are rescued so we can start to plan accordingly."

Although he suspected that was it, he still had no idea what to tell her. He'd already tried to make contact with the outside world but wasn't able to get a signal from the radio. Sighing, he had no idea what to tell the old woman who would in turn fill everyone else in. "It shouldn't be too long since the weather isn't horrible. The rains could delay the search, but as long as they got clear coordinates then they'll have a good place to start."

"So we have no idea how long it will be?"

Not knowing how else to answer, Dean nodded. "Don't worry though, I have a little brother who's birthday is at the end of the week and I plan on being there, so don't start giving up just yet."

"Oh my dear boy, I would never do that. I just needed to let the others know how long they would have to listen to the screeching monkey you call Ms. Tolliver. She really grates on a person's ears." Mrs. Sanchez said laughing.

As much as Dean wanted to join her in laughing at the situation he just couldn't seem to get Maria's plight out of his mind and how much Mrs. Sanchez's comparison of the congresswoman and a screeching monkey was right on.

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Terrance had suspected he knew where the Musketeers had gone and seeing that he was right made him feel a little better about the situation. It wasn't that he wanted Sam to worry, but he also didn't want him to find out about Dean from some other source like the media who was currently having a field day that Congresswoman Tolliver was missing. Sighing, he knew that this was going to get messy, but he also knew that it could be so much worse; at least this time they knew where to start.

"Sam, how are you?" he asked the young man before him, hoping that the shock of what was happening wasn't going to be too much for him; this wasn't the first time he had to go through this.

Sam looked around and saw the maps and the proposed search grids and wondered why they were searching around the mountains. "Sir, you're looking in the wrong spot." He said nervously. He knew how he sounded, but he also knew that if he was right they were wasting time and people needed help.

Looking at the Musketeers Terrance saw the concern in their eyes but also something else – belief. He knew that Sam and Dean had a special connection; it's what kept the soldier looking for his little brother when so many times it would have made more sense to think him dead. Now he had to wonder if something else was going on, and that thought made him more than a little uncomfortable. "Sam, do you know what happened? Has anyone explained the situation?" he asked, noting that the men behind the boy shook their heads, while the young man in front of him looked like he was about to shake himself apart.

"They were in an old plane, the alarms started to sound, they crashed into two pieces but not in the mountains." Sam said softly while looking at his shoes, he didn't want to be even weirder than he was, but he needed to tell them that needed to look someplace else; he'd deal with everyone's stares and whispers later. "They made it past the mountains, I think they were more East, but there are people hurt and a little girl crying with her baby brother."

Quickly steering Sam towards his office, Terrance had no idea what to say and was thankful when no words were necessary at the moment. Right now he needed to make sure Sam was ok, because if looks were anything to go by, the kid was falling apart before their eyes. Finally reaching his office, he escorted the young man inside while asking his secretary for a soda and some coffee. Settling Sam into a chair and motioning for the other men to get comfortable, he then sat next to Sam and tried to smile.

"Sam, can you tell me what's bothering you?" he asked, trying to ignore the fact that the kid couldn't sit still even for a second and if his leg was any indication then he was more than a little nervous about the whole situation. Sighing, he tried again. "Sam, can you tell me why you think we're looking in the wrong place?"

Looking up at the Colonel, Sam wasn't sure how much to really tell. If he was still with his dad then either he'd be dead because it was more proof of how evil he really was, or he'd become even more of the family secret and kept hidden until needed. The thought actually made him want to laugh because that was exactly what had happened; maybe his dad was onto something after all. Sensing everyone else's concern, he looked up to see not fear but worry – for him. 'Huh, weird.' he thought to himself, wondering why they would be concerned about him, he wasn't the one lost in the middle of the freakin' rainforest. "I had a dream last night… nightmare really. I'm not sure where Dean is, I don't see him, but I know he's worried about the people there. Some are hurt, but the others are trying to help them. I don't know what else."

Taylor looked at Joseph and they both became concerned. Their little brother was acting as if there was something awful about what he'd told them and that could lead to a whole other set of complications. Sighing, Joseph squatted down next to Sammy and put his hand on the kid's arm. "Sammy, we need you help. You're the only clue we have to what we're dealing with, and if you can help us find them, then we can make sure the rescue teams get there quickly, ok? What else did you see?"

Sam looked at his brothers before looking back at the Colonel and hoped they wouldn't be too freaked out. "There isn't any water around except for the rain, so you can mark off anyplace close to a river, stream or pond. They can't see the mountains from a clearing the plane made. Their wasn't any fire, so I think when the pilot knew they were in trouble, he dumped all the fuel and tried to glide it for awhile." He paused for a moment before he looked around again. "I don't know… I think they could be in trouble, but I don't know by what."

Patting Sam on the leg, Terrance got up and called the Situation Room to talk to Katie. He knew she was taking this hard, but he needed her focus. After relaying the information they now had, he was assured that she'd have a new search grid ready for submission in half an hour. Sighing, he motioned for his aide to come in with the drinks and then sat in his chair and watched Sam look as if he's rather be in front of a firing squad than with them. Handing the young man his soda, he had to smile at the boy. On one hand he was a competent, well honed soldier in his own right, but get him involved in something more on a personally level and the kid falls apart.

"Sam, thank you. You have saved us a lot of time and energy that those people may not have. I know that it took a lot for you to tell me all of this, but I want you to know that unless you want me to tell anyone about where this information came from, I won't." he paused and saw the shake of the young man's head. "Ok, that's settled then. Now how about we get down to something that really matters, Sam how's that snooty school treating you?"

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Katie was worried. She knew that Washington had put together the search grids and that was fine by her, but now she was asked to configure a whole new set of perimeters on the off chance that the Pentagon was wrong. Of course it wouldn't be the first time that those in the higher offices had made a mistake, but it made her nervous that she was about to do something that could show them just how wrong they were. The initial assumption was that the pilot got his bearings confused and had hit the mountain range at some point, leaving them with a very concentrated initial search area which would expand periodically. Now though as she entered the new information she hoped that this was actually something that could help, because although she knew how she felt about Dean missing, she also knew that Sam had to be scared out of his mind.

Watching her computer work, she let her mind drift to the Jubilee and the wonderful time she had with her very own Prince Charming. She knew she was being ridiculous considering how much of a womanizer Dean was reputed to be, but when he was with her, she felt like the only woman in the world and that was a very special feeling. She just hoped that they could get him home soon, then she could worry about what was really bothering her; how long would it be before Dean got tired of her.

The sound of her computer ending its computations and applying it to the map they were working with pulled her out of her dreaming and what sat there waiting for her made her hit the print button as she jumped up of her chair. Running to grab the pages as she headed towards the door, she knew that the Colonel was right; they were looking in the wrong area.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Hey everyone... I hope you like this one... don't forget to let me know!

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If he heard _'Mr. Winchester'_ one more time he was going to drop the woman off the nearest cliff. Dean hated being talked down to, especially by someone who didn't know her ass from a hole in the ground. Given the current situation, he had been more than tolerant, but what little patience he had was wearing more than a little thin at the moment if for no other reason than the mightier than thou attitude that the Wicked Witch of the West continued to portray during the crisis they were all stuck in.

It shouldn't have been that much of a surprise when the witch tried to refuse to share the supplies they had, but to see it in full color just rammed home how selfish she truly was. After her threats of court martial though, Dean had more than enough and immediately separated her items from things that others could use.

"_If I'm getting court marshaled ma'am, then I better make the most of it."_

Everyone heard her yells of protest of how much deserved things more than 'those people', but no one paid any attention; there were too many that needed extra care, and the wants of one did not outweigh the needs to many.

Dean could only hope that the search and rescue teams were on the ball and already out looking since there was no way they could last out there for any length of time with as many injured people as there were. Sighing, he pulled his hand along his face and tried to focus his thoughts on more productive ideas, but unfortunately they kept looping Sammy in the mix of thoughts and emotions to the point that he knew that if he didn't make it back soon he'd lose his freakin' mind. Looking over the area he knew that everyone was trying to make the best out of a sticky situation. Mrs. Sanchez had been amazing in keeping everyone calm and coordinating the efforts to get supplies gathered and distributed evenly throughout the group. Little Maria continued to take care of her baby brother as if she'd done it her whole life, not letting anyone near them but a select few; and Dean felt honored to be a part of that few. The co-pilot continued to fight through his numerous injuries to help figure out where they were in case they could get someone to hike out for help. All in all the efforts were coordinated for a common good, and it was a nice change from the other scenes that had been burned into his brain where it was a fight for survival; even among friends.

"I swear to you Sammy, I'm coming home!" Dean said into the fading daylight, holding on to his promise like a lifeline.

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Sam knew that everyone was worried, that was a given, but what puzzled him was why they were concerned about _him_. He had let his brothers take him home, but once there he made his way to his newly renovated room and laid down to try to get his bearings again. He knew they wanted to talk to him, but he couldn't pull the energy together to face them; not right now at least.

Knowing that they'd leave him alone for a little while, Sam felt himself slip away; away from the pain and uncertainty that seemed to follow him. He didn't know how long his eyes had been closed or why he thought that maybe he wasn't really sleeping after all, but he did know that something wasn't right and he needed to figure it out soon.

_Looking around he saw his brother sleeping close to the girl and her brother that he'd seen before. As he looked the scene took on an eerie glow and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Taking another look around he finally understood what was wrong; there were a group of men in camo gear watching the plane crash survivors as if biding their time to attack. Sam couldn't describe why that thought scared him so much, but it did and he wanted so badly to wake Dean and tell him what was going on, but he wasn't able to say anything, he wasn't able to touch anything, to do anything to save his brother's life._

The screams echoed in his ears making him wish someone would shut whoever it was up because they weren't doing anything for his head which was either being crushed or pulled apart by what had to be a very sadistic creature. Hearing something else under the screams, Sam tried to focus on that and realized it was Stephen and Joseph and they sounded freaked. Trying hard to find out what was wrong, Sam managed to crack open his eyes only to find out that the screaming he was hearing was actually from him!

"SAMMY! Sammy, open your eyes little brother and snap out of it!" Stephen was shouting. They all had heard first the whimpers then the full blown screams of terror as they tore through Sammy's throat and echoed throughout the apartment. When they reached the bedroom they were shocked to see little bro caught up in another nightmare and what they were hearing was far from encouraging.

Joseph was holding Sammy close trying to get through to the kid, but he seemed to be trapped in a place that only his mind knew and that scared them all too much to admit out loud. He watched as Taylor ran back out the door and heard him call Celia in hopes she would know what to do, since at the moment none of them had a clue.

The sudden silence shocked everyone, but before any of them could comment Sam turned onto his side vomited onto the floor before promptly passing out.

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Celia had known early on that once she became a doctor then her life would no longer be her own. Add to that the pressures at the clinic and even she was amazed that she had at least a small semblance of a life outside the office. Now however she was pulled out of a nice relaxing bath not for some emergency at the hospital or clinic, but because the Musketeers couldn't snap Sam out a nightmare; and from the sounds of it, it sounded like a whopper!

Not bothering to fully towel off or even to see which clothes she was pulling on, Celia rushed out of her apartment to get to Sam soon. She had already had a talk with the Colonel and was filled in about Dean's absence so she wasn't going in completely blind, but she had to wonder how they would be able to help Sam when there were still so many obstacles in the way to do so. She had wondered about counseling for Sam, but with his horrendous experience with a psychiatrist before there was no way she was going to push the issue. Right now though her main concern was to make sure he was alright and hopefully find a way to keep him asleep for awhile so he could get some rest

Stopping directly in front of the apartment building she was met by Taylor and knew that whatever was happening had him and the others completely and totally freaked out. Stepping out of her car she was more than a little surprised when Joseph started rushing through his speech without once taking a breath.

"Sammystartedscreamingthenhefinallyopenedhiseyesbuthethrewupeverywhereandnowhe'scompletlypassedoutandwehavenocluewhattodo!"

Knowing that what Taylor said had to have made some sort of sense somewhere between his brain and his mouth, Celia decided to give the man the benefit of the doubt and not bother to ask what was wrong until she saw her patient first. She was tempted to shake her head and sigh like her grandmother had done many times when someone always seemed to be in some sort of trouble, but that was something she was trying to control, her natural impulses to follow in her grandmother's footsteps.

Reaching the living room, it became obvious what the problem was when she saw Sam lying limp on the couch. Concerned, she looked at Stephen and let her eyes do the talking.

"We're not sure exactly what happened, it looked and sounded like a nightmare and then he tossed his cookies and passed out."

Thinking about what Stephen said several things came to mind but the one that had her the most concerned seemed to be the one question she was having a tough time asking. "Was he convulsing at all, having a seizure?" she asked hesitantly, hoping that she could get a lucky break for her patient for once.

"No seizure; just screaming, puking and then… nothing." Stephen said with a frown. He was more than a little concerned, he was terrified. On top of that he hoped that she wouldn't ask what he knew she had to, but damn it what were they going to say?

"Has this happened before?" she asked "I know that he gets nightmares, but has he even vomited or passed out before?"

The Musketeers looked at each other and quickly weighed their options. Deciding that in order to make sure Sammy was going to be ok they nodded. "Last night, he had a nightmare and pretty much the same thing happened; only he didn't crash so hard afterwards." Joseph said softly, watching their little brother breathe thinking that it was one of the greatest things in the world.

Before anyone could say anything else there attention was pulled back towards the couch where Sam was starting to come around.

"Great… it happened again didn't it?" Sam asked as he looked around the room. Puzzled he looked towards his bedroom then back to his brothers.

"Don't worry Sammy we moved you in here so you would be more comfortable while we cleaned up." Stephen said, hoping that the look the kid had on his face would fade soon. Seeing the confusion though made him worry more and he couldn't help but wonder if maybe they made it worse by moving him. "Sammy, you ok buddy?"

"Uh… yeah… but um, do you think we can… you know… talk?" he asked hesitantly as his gaze slightly shifted to Celia.

Although the others knew that something was on Sammy's mind they wondered what could be so important that Celia couldn't hear. Finally though the reason became crystal clear to Taylor and he nodded in agreement. "Sure thing kiddo, I'm sure Celia wouldn't mind waiting for us in the kitchen, would you doc?"

Smiling, Celia nodded then patted Sam on the knee as she headed out of the room. Whatever was going on had the kid on edge and if the lack of her presence made him more comfortable then she was more than willing to give it to him. "I'll be in the kitchen when you're done."

Sam felt grateful that no one was giving him a hard time at the moment about asking Celia to leave, but he didn't want her to know just how much of a freak he really was; she knew too much as it was. Looking at his brothers he jumped in with both feet. "There's people closing in on Dean and the others and they don't look friendly. I think… no… I _know_ that if we don't get to them soon then there won't be any point." Sam's voice was mostly stable, but the tears forming in his eyes belied any signs that he was calm. At the moment all he wanted was Dean home; he'd give everything he had, everything he was and would be just to make sure that his brother was already safe and sound at home.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: As always, a huge THANK YOU to Sammygirl1963 who keeps me going when things get a bit too much!

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Terrance wondered if there was a way to turn back the clock and start the last couple of days over again. If he could he would have handled things a lot differently, starting with how he had allowed his little girl to rip Sam apart and ending with sending Dean to escort the barracuda home. Now though he had to think about the new developments and wonder how he was going to manage to keep it all under wraps as to how he found out the approximate location of the crash site as well as the danger the survivors were in.

Replaying the conversation he had with Taylor, he was sure that what Sam saw was true, but he wasn't sure it was going to be enough to convince the higher ups to get moving even faster than what they were. In all honesty, the search and rescue teams had been dispatched in record time and the progress in the search had been phenomenal, or would have been if everyone hadn't been looking in the wrong direction. He was glad Katie had gotten him the new information, but he was still unsure if the pentagon would take it seriously, and with this new development that Sam had handed them, he wasn't sure they had the time to go through proper channels.

Checking his computer again, and then calling Jenna to let her know he'd be late, he rushed out of his office calling over his shoulder for them to call if anything changed; he needed to get to Sam, if for no other reason than to make sure the boy was alright after what he'd already seen.

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Celia knew that whatever the Musketeers were talking to Sam about was important just by the terse whispers coming from the youngest member. Although she couldn't hear what was going on, she felt that something was wrong and had the feeling it had to do with Dean. Wanting to give them privacy, she took to hunting for something to munch on since her stomach chose that moment to remind her that she hadn't had anything to eat since the peanut butter crackers at lunch.

Taking a moment to check the cabinets she was just about to get upset at the bareness she found until she opened the refrigerator and saw the fresh fruits and vegetables that seemed to crowd the crisper bins as well as fill the shelves. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it; the Musketeers eating healthy!

"It's mainly for little bro, but we figured if he could suffer through it, then we could too." Stephen said from the doorway.

Not knowing what to say, Celia smiled guiltily knowing that she had to seem like the biggest snoop around. "I'm sorry Stephen, I was just…"

"Hungry, I get it… believe me, I understand." He said while pulling a large bowl out of a cabinet. "Sweetheart, I've watched how hard you work, and I know that there are times you barely have time to go to the bathroom, so don't worry about it. If you sit down, I'll make you a chef salad and then we can talk."

Celia wasn't sure she liked the idea of talking at the moment; she had a feeling that she wasn't going to like what she heard, but then again she really wanted to know what was going on. She could hear Taylor and Joseph speaking to Sam but not what they were talking about and it was taking everything she had not to focus some more in the attempt to figure it out.

Stephen wanted to laugh, but thought better of it. Celia might be acting like she wasn't curious, but he could see right through the façade; his girlfriend cared about Sammy too much to let anything fly underneath her radar. It was just another reason why he found himself falling in deep for her. He didn't know what the future held for them, but he was hoping that the feelings he had for her was mutual because he wasn't in the habit of handing his heart over to people.

The knock on the door tore him out of his musing and he watched Taylor open it to let the Colonel in. Something told him though that this wasn't a social call and he didn't know how much they would need to talk about that involved things that Celia hadn't been clued in yet.

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He knew they were being watched, he could feel the bastards watch them and it was grating on his nerves; almost as much as listening to his 'boss' who was determined to make everyone else miserable. It was moments like this that made him wonder why he re-enlisted.

Checking on Maria again, he was concerned about the set in shock that she was still trapped in; even though she seemed to be able to take care of her baby brother without any trouble. He hoped they could get her help soon otherwise he wasn't holding out much hope for her to live a happy life.

"Mr. Winchester, if you are done with… whatever you are doing, I believe it's time for you to get back to what you are _supposed_ to be doing." Marcia Tolliver said, only barely glancing at the other people around her.

Gritting his teeth and letting out a slow deep breath, Dean stood, turned around and inquired, "And just what would that be Ms. Tolliver?"

Ignoring the obvious jab with the omission of her title, Marcia flipped her hair and arranged her shirt as if she was trying to smooth out some wrinkles. "To make sure I get home safely of course, and I fail to see how you are able to do that while you are constantly flittering back and forth between your duties to me and _them_."

Dean knew that there was no way he could choose a selfish bitch over these people, and was certain that the Colonel would agree with him. "Ms. Tolliver, I am only going to say this once. The people need help more than you, and that's what I'm here for whether you like the idea or not. You might see me as some sort of flunky, but I am a Marine and that means that if someone's in trouble I'm there. You are not in any sort of trouble therefore you aren't as much of a concern as these people. Now if you'll excuse me I have more pressing matters to attend to."

Although he walked off confidently, inside he was second guessing himself. If she chose to bring him up on charges then the whole process could be too much for his little brother. He had no doubt that the others would take care of him if he was found guilty, but the thought of being away from Sammy any longer than necessary made him nauseous. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down and concentrate on keeping everyone calm and relatively safe, which brought him back to his original problem; who was watching them and why?

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Taylor wasn't sure if he was happy to see the Colonel or not considering Celia was still there and they wouldn't be able to talk freely about Sammy. Letting the other man into the apartment there was a moment of awkward silence until Sam spoke up and jolted everyone back to the present.

"Hey Colonel, what's wrong? Is Jenna ok?" Sam asked, concerned that something else had happened.

Smiling, Terrance was once again amazed about this young man in front of him. "Sam, I think there are more pressing matters at the moment. Jenna's fine, she's home at the moment with Vic and she's already assured me that she figured I wouldn't be home tonight."

Stephen and Celia joined everyone in the living room and listened to the Colonel and Sam talk to each other like they were old friends. It shouldn't have surprised either of them considering what Sammy had done for Jenna, but there was something almost fatherly about the way the Colonel looked at the kid that made both of them wonder if maybe this was something that both Sammy and the Colonel needed. Their thought were interrupted by the look of pain that crossed Sammy's face making the Musketeers nervous and Celia running towards her bag.

"Ah man… not…" Sam whimpered as he felt the pressure build up again, now knowing what this meant and not wanting to embarrass himself, but also not knowing how to stop it. All too soon though he was lost in what he saw and all thoughts of humiliation was gone as his mind took him farther away from everyone.

"_Rescue two this is Search team three, do you copy?"_

"_This is Rescue two, Search team three, what's your status?"_

"_Rescue two, we have run into a situation… I repeat we have…"_

"_Search team three, please repeat did not copy… I repeat, did not copy…Search team three, please respond…Search team one, do you have Search team three in visual?"_

"_Rescue two, this is Search team one, that's a negative we have no visual."_

_The sound of gunfire breaks the conversation suddenly as the bullets hit the hull of the search and rescue helicopter. The pilot realizes the danger and quickly pulls up and away but too late as another round of bullets litter the side of the chopper severing the fuel and hydraulic lines leaving the machine with no way to control it's rapid decent._

_The sight of the fireball could be seen by all rescue teams except for team two who had been subdued and murdered mere moments before._

The pain that shot through Sam's head was enough to make him wish he was already dead and gone, but it was the knowledge that slowly filtered through his brain that he was on his side being supported by strong arms as he hurled yet again this time into a waste basket. He could hear the concern in everyone's voices even though he had no idea what they were saying. His efforts to sit up were futile as his vision turned dark and his body fell limp into the waiting arms of his brothers.

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"Ok… what the hell was that?" Celia exclaimed as she rushed towards Sam's side. She'd seen a lot of things, but this didn't fit into any of them, although there was something familiar in the look Sam had as he screamed out in absolute terror.

Feeling more than a little uncomfortable with how things were going, the Musketeers looked at each other before realizing that if anyone deserved their trust it was the doctor. Joseph was still holding onto Sam tightly and didn't look like he was planning on letting go anytime soon while Taylor continued to rub little bro's back in hopes that it would help bring the kid back to them faster. Stephen looked at the Colonel and held out his hands like he wasn't sure what to do, which led the older man into the conversation that he wasn't sure Sam wanted.

"Apparently Sam is, for a better word, psychic. He's already had two visions that we know of and this is what happens afterwards. Celia I can't stress how important…"

"Colonel, with all due respect… _shut up_! I'm trying to hear a heartbeat here and you talking isn't helping." Celia replied shortly. She knew that it wasn't the Musketeers or the Colonel's fault, but damn it this was hitting _way_ too close to home. It wasn't that she didn't believe the Colonel, in fact if the man told her the moon was made out of cream cheese she's nod and ask for a bagel, it was the fact that now she understood the look on Sam's face and she also knew that there was no way to really help him until he was able to gain some semblance of control. Sighing, she sat back on her heels and looked at the boy in front of her. 'Oh Sam, what are we going to do with you?' she thought, knowing that with everything else that had been going on, this was the last thing he needed to top it all off.

When Sam started moving around, everyone expected him to slowly become aware, but they were surprised when he bolted upright and looked straight at the Colonel.

"You have to get the rescue teams out of there, they're not safe… a helicopter crew and a rescue team are going to get killed if they stay there!"

It only took a moment for the words to filter through their brains, but once it was accomplished, the Colonel was on the phone to call in a few favors and the Musketeers tried their best to calm their little brother down; neither group having much success with their tasks.

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AN: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to let me know!


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Ok... 1st off... totally awesome season finale, with one plea to Kripke... PLEASE DON'T MAKE US WAIT TOO LONG FOR THE PREMIERE!! Ahem, now that that's out of the way... I hope you all enjoy this chapter, don't forget to let me know!

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Celia felt completely and totally drained and it had nothing to do with the all nighter she pulled with the Musketeers to try and calm a very insistent and upset down, but everything to do with the realization that the very boy that she had been trying to help was afflicted with the same worries of her mother and grandmother.

Although she had never denied the rumors that her grandmother was a Haitian voodoo priestess, she never openly acknowledged them either. Her mother had tried so hard to deny that part of their lineage that it had eventually sent her down a dark path of insanity when she sought help from non-believers. Now though, she knew that Sam was going to have an even rougher road if for no other reason than if she was right, then the added stress of this 'gift' could possibly compromise his health by wearing him down. She needed advice and she knew of only one person who could give it, and since she'd already put the call in, she now could only wait until Nana called.

Rubbing the exhaustion out of her eyes, she was sure it was going to be a long day even with the gallon of coffee she'd already drank and the crème filled donuts she'd already ate, but that didn't deter her from her duties. She knew that the Musketeers would do what they had to; she just hoped that they all could find a way to help Sam before his world crashed around him.

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Taylor had been awake all night alternating between trying to get more information about what happened to the rescue teams and trying to convince Sammy that it wasn't his fault that word hadn't gotten to them in time. Neither ventures were paying off very well and it was starting to irritate him, not that he blamed little bro he just wished he was able to offer more solace than 'It's not your fault.' Unfortunately, that was all he could offer.

The Colonel had left to head back to his office to try and spearhead a full investigation as to why the teams had still been in that area to begin with. Once the door shut, everything that Sammy had been holding back suddenly came to the surface; the guilt that he couldn't find Dean, the guilt that he couldn't save those people, the guilt that he was living and others were dead or dying. It had taken all of them just to get the kid to sit back down, and the threat of sedation for him to calm down enough that he didn't look like he was going to pass out. Finally though, as everything seemed to right itself, the one true fear came out, 'What will I do if Dean dies?' That threw everyone on their asses as the meaning of the question became so clear. What he really wanted to know was: 'Will you still want me if Dean's not here?' giving everyone a moment to wonder how the kid could even doubt it. One dog pile and group hug later, everyone thought things were settled. Then it happened again, this time about a kid on a bicycle in the park after dark, sending Stephen and Joseph to try and find out what was going on.

Now, with the knowledge that the little girl was safe and sound, the issue went straight back to Sammy and what his visions were doing to him. Just looking at the kid made him want to cringe, in fact if he didn't know better he'd swear Sammy had already lost weight, not that the kid really had any to lose to begin with. He had hoped that knowing he helped save someone would help him forget about the ones he hadn't gotten to in time, but that was just the way little bro was wired, the negative seemed to hold more weight than the positive.

"Hey kiddo, if you're going to continue to pace like that, I want you to down some more Gatorade, ok?" Taylor asked, hoping that Sammy wouldn't fight him on this. If the kid got sick because of what was going on, then there would be no way any of them would get over it.

Sam stopped in the middle of the living room and looked at Taylor as if he hadn't remembered him being there a moment before. Finally comprehending what the other man said, he nodded and made his way into the kitchen, ignoring the light switch completely. Finally getting the lid off the bottle, he walked back towards Taylor and paused. "Do you think he's alright?" he asked suddenly, so quiet it was amazing he'd been heard at all.

"Yep, I know he is kiddo. You want to know how I know? It's because you didn't tell us he was hurt. We all know that if something was wrong with Dean, you'd know it and fill us in, simple." Taylor said, trying to convey as much faith into his voice as possible. He watched carefully as Sammy thought about what he said as if he'd never considered the possibility before. Finally though, the truth settled into the younger's brain and Taylor was pleased to see a small semblance of calm start to emerge.

Nodding, Sam sat down and muttered, "Yeah, you're right… I'd know… I'd know."

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Stephen wasn't exactly sure what to do at the moment. He and Joseph had saved a girl at the park from a very shady character who seemed to have a baby doll fetish if the items in the trunk of his car were to be believed, just like little bro had described. Which lead him to a lot of questions, but not a lot of answers. The pain that Sammy had been in, not to mention the fear he had felt, had practically sent him into a panic. Thankfully though afterwards the fear he himself had for his little brother subsided too, but not the worry. If this happened every time the kid had a vision, and he couldn't predict when one was coming on, then his life would be pretty limited. There was no way the kid could go to school just in case one hit out of the blue, and there was no way he'd be able to drive even if they found a way to get him licensed with the damaged eye. He wasn't sure if he was making something out of nothing but it didn't feel like it. This felt like something they needed to tackle headon, and if possible put a stop to it before it ruined any chance Sammy had for a normal life.

"You know, you keep looking like that and you'll end up scaring Celia away." Joseph joked, hoping to find out what had Stephen looking so sour. Pulling the Suburban into the parking lot, he knew that the chances of finding out anything new were slim, but they wanted to make sure for themselves before heading back home. Now though, he was wondering if maybe they needed to forgo this little side trip and figure out what was really going on in the big guy's head.

Sighing, Stephen rolled his eyes and looked at Joseph. "I let you drive didn't I, what makes you think that you get anything else tonight with at least dinner and a movie?"

Laughing, Joseph had to hand it to the other man, sometimes he just knew when to say the right thing. "Dude, so not my type. Seriously though, you worried about Sammy or what?"

Startled, Stephen looked over and saw the knowing gaze and he knew that he was busted. "Yeah, ok, you caught me, but what else am I supposed to be about this? I mean really, first I'm taught that things that go bump in the night are for the uneducated superstitious only to find out that's wrong, then we find out that our little brother is one of those rare people who can just so happen see things before they happen, but it just about kills him to do it. What the hell are we supposed to do about that Joseph? How are we supposed to keep him calm, safe and happy when he sees these horrendous things? How?"

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Terrance was nursing his third cup of coffee in the past hour. He knew his assistant was wondering if he needed to make another pot, but the Colonel figured that the man would be able to figure that out for himself. Taking another look at the latest search grid, he could only hope that today would be the day they found the survivors, because he knew that with each moment that passed Dean and the others were getting closer to danger.

"Colonel, I was wondering if you'd allow me to stay longer. I know that I was supposed to go home hours ago but…"

Smiling, Terrance nodded in understanding. "Sure Katie, but how about you take the couch in my office for a little while. There's no reason for you to collapse from lack of sleep if there's no need."

Katie smiled slightly before shaking her head. "Thanks for the offer sir, maybe in a little while. Right now though I need to finish… uh… doing what I was trying to get done earlier."

Curious, the Colonel followed her to the desk she was currently accommodating and watched as she typed something to someone on her computer screen and then waited only a moment for the reply. What he saw there though didn't make him feel any better. "Katie, who is this person and why haven't we heard from him before?"

"He's a student from Brazil on one of those Ecological Vacations for credit. He borrowed a satellite link from the University to keep in touch with his advisors. I found him by accident, but he's already filled me in that he can heard the helicopters, but he hasn't been able to figure out what they're looking for. He thinks it's someone searching for one of the area's drug cartel's, he hasn't mentioned anything about a plane crashing."

Thinking about this new information, Terrance could now see why Sam had been so nervous about Dean and the others. There had been too many rumors flying around about how the drug lords had taken offense to people who had stumbled too close to their operations. Now he was facing the possibility that this was the case now and that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up.

"Katie, can you find out how long he's been there, and if he knows for certain that there's a drug lord set up in the area?" he asked, all the while praying that he was wrong, that there was no way that there was a possibility that there would be a confrontation while trying to rescue these people. While he was at it he prayed that Dean was alright, because he knew it would destroy Sam if he wasn't.

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Just when you see the light at the end of the tunnel, you realize that it's a train. That's the thought that ran through his head as the instant he heard the choppers he saw armed men run out of the trees yelling for only what Dean could assume was 'stay still or you die.' Now as he watched everyone try to calm each other, he could only hope that no one had an itchy finger since that was the last thing they needed; a fatality due to a misunderstanding.

"_Mr. Winchester, Do something!"_ the high pitched voice screeched from somewhere behind him, sending the armed men into a frenzy of hurried words and sharp antagonistic movements. Dean knew they were on a fine line, and the absolute last thing they needed was for the witch to risk everyone for her own stupidity. Turning around slowly, he saw the congresswoman march towards him, screaming the whole way. "Your job is to keep me safe, and I must remind you that the US gove…"

Dean rubbed his knuckles where they had connected to her jaw and looked down at the unconscious form before him. He just needed a little time to try and sort this out, without the distraction of a selfish diplomat, or the complication of them knowing she was a diplomat at all. Sighing, he turned back around and faced the men closest to him.

"Que pasa, amigos?"


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Hope this doesn't disappoint...

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Dean hated being at a disadvantage, but at the moment he didn't have much choice. As the choppers neared, the armed men grew more anxious giving the survivors a real fear of what was about to happen, add to that that he couldn't speak Spanish except to order another round of beer and to ask where the bathroom was, he was feeling well and truly screwed.

"You are American, yes?" a young man asked as he approached, motioning the others to point their guns elsewhere.

"Uh, yeah." Dean stated plainly, not wanting to give too much away as well as not wanting to antagonize anyone either.

The man looked Dean over before looking at the others then turning his attention back to Dean. "What are you doing here?"

Before Dean could stop himself he quipped, "Gravity works." Causing the other man to think about that a moment before laughing.

"Yes, yes it does. However, I was referring to why you are here. I can tell about the others, they belong here and are probably going to visit family or going home, but you and the woman… what are you doing here?"

Dean shook his head and smirked, "You know, I've been wondering that myself." He looked at the others and wondered how they were going to get out of this mess when he heard the man speak again.

"Are you with the FBI, CIA, DEA?"

Laughing, Dean shook his head. "No man… look, I know this looks bad, but you really need to take a second and ask yourself if I really look like one of those suits? I mean, c'mon!" There was a pause and he felt that if they hadn't shot him on site for that, then maybe he had a chance. "Ok, I _am_ a Marine, but I was just on my way home from doing a favor for a friend. My little brother's birthday is in a couple of days and I really need to get back, I'm all he has. We have people who are hurt here and need attention if they have a snowballs chance of surviving, and we have the search and rescue teams looking for us as we speak. So, I'm going to ask you, are you going to let us signal them so we can get out of here and let you go on your merry way, or are you going to kill us all in hopes of whatever you're hiding stays that way?"

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Sam had no idea what to do. Dean was still lost somewhere, and the rest of his brothers had taken turns to make sure he wasn't by himself longer than it took him to go to the bathroom, which didn't make him feel any less stressed out. Taking a deep breath he looked at himself in the mirror and wondered not for the first time why he was the one who survived that night so long ago. He hadn't slept at all the previous night, but it hadn't helped, the images kept coming at odd intervals and although he wasn't getting sick each time, he was really starting to feel the grip on reality slip.

"Hey Sammy… you ok in there?" Joseph asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute!" he called back, hoping that he sounded confident instead of whiney; he couldn't spend the whole day in the bathroom. Sighing, he reached out for the door handle but hesitated when his emotions started to overwhelm him again.

They had found out about a guy that was in the rainforest talking to Katie and although he had shared what he knew, it hadn't shed a good light on what could be happening to Dean at that moment. The frustrating thing for him though was the fact that no matter how hard he thought about his brother, he couldn't bring a vision on to check on him. What good was this freaky ability if he couldn't use it to do the one thing that he wanted to do more than anything?

He knew he needed to get back to the living room with his brothers, but he also knew that they all were running on empty and tempers were starting to flare; he didn't want to do anything inadvertently that would upset any of them. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the living room and sighed when he didn't see irritation on their faces, but true concern.

Taylor knew that the kid was worn out, but there wasn't anything they could do for him at the moment; at least not until they got word about Dean. The Colonel had already called and told them to stay with Sammy, giving them all a sense of relief since none of them wanted to leave him anymore than necessary, but that also meant none of them were in the thick of things and they wondered what was really going on. His attempt to mesh his computer with Katie's had been met with strong resistance making him wonder just what exactly was going on and if it was something they needed to be worried about.

"Hey Sammy, why don't you sit down, I made you a milkshake with that protein powder stuff that Celia recommended." Stephen enthused as he walked into the living room. He was worried about little bro and was determined more than ever not to add to the kid's stress level by sharing their concerns with him. It may not have been the ideal choice, but the fact of the matter was Sammy looked like he could pass out at any moment and hadn't eaten anything for quite awhile. "Come on kiddo, drink up then you can take your meds before we have that rematch."

Taylor watched the scene unfold in front of him and he wondered what excuse Sammy was going to give for not interacting with them, even Legalos hadn't been able to draw their little brother out of the shell he'd stuffed himself into. The worst part of it all though was the fact that the kid would unexpectedly have some sort of vision that would scare him out of his mind, but when he came out of it, it was almost as if he couldn't put the pieces together to let them know what was happening. Taking a deep breath, he sighed in relief when he saw a small smile form on Sammy face.

Stephen watched as Sammy looked at the milkshake and think about playing another game of chess. He wasn't sure if this would work, but they'd watched the kid practically beat himself up over the fact that he couldn't be everywhere at once, and the unfortunate fact that he couldn't save everyone every time. None of them could imagine the horrors that ripped through the kid's mind, but they hoped that one day the images wouldn't be as painful or horrific for him.

"Uh, I don't think I'm up for chess, do you think we could just play cards or something?" Sam asked, hoping that whatever they were really planning didn't include a lot of thought on his part.

Hearing the request from their little brother, Joseph smiled as he walked into the apartment. "Did someone suggest a card game? Hell, you know I'm in!"

Within minutes a table had been set up and everyone was playing a hand of poker, anything to keep their mind of the slowly ticking clock and the fact that little bro still wasn't drinking his milkshake.

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It had been a tough decision to keep the Musketeers at home, but it was one that he felt justified in making. Sam needed his brothers, and he needed a few minutes of relative quiet to figure out what exactly was going on. At the moment none of the reports were making sense, and he had to wonder yet again if maybe they were looking in the wrong area.

"Colonel, we have a link to the radio of one of the choppers. They believe they found the area, but they're having trouble discerning whether there are actual people down there."

Nodding, Terrance waited impatiently as more information started to trickle in. He had been going around in circles with some of the bureaucrats on Capital Hill who didn't want too many people knowing of the Congresswoman's disappearance, however since he's the one who sent one of his men to escort her home they had decided begrudgingly to allow him information as they got it. Amazing though how their information always seemed to trail what he had been able to find out by other means. Trying hard not to get frustrated, he walked back to his office to make a very special call. The line rang twice before a very excited voice answered.

"_Daddy!?"_

"Hi Sweetheart, how are you feeling today? Do I need to call…"

"_Daddy, I'm fine! It's not like I started chemo yet or anything!" _Jenna said with a smile. She knew her father worried too much about her, but then again she was the only thing left of her mother.

Terrance closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle. "Sweetheart, have you thought this through, I mean I know that you've…"

"_I've already talked to all the doctors just like you have, and yes… I've decided to go with the recommended treatment. I know it's a risk, but maybe with this experimental cocktail they have I won't have to lose anymore body parts than absolutely necessary."_

Tears stung his eyes as he remembered those almost exact words from another young woman he loved so very much. The irony of the situation was not lost on him, but he really had to wonder just how much one person could take. Nodding, he cleared his throat and looked at the picture on his desk, the one of Jillian holding Jenna less than a year before her death. "Ok sweetheart, I know that this is something that you want to try, just remember that if it doesn't seem to help or you feel worse we have other options."

Jenna knew her dad was letting her know that he was supporting her no matter what she decided, and she felt a weight lift off of her. She'd already been through round one and two with her grandparents who had automatically decided that she should have surgery immediately, removing all reproductive organs before starting an intense chemotherapy treatment. She loved her grandparents, but they were both driving her batty. _"Thanks Daddy, I know this is hard for you, but I promise that if it doesn't seem to work, then I'll try something else. Now… what about Dean, have they found him yet? Is Sammy ok?"_

Laughing, he knew that no matter what had happened; Jenna still loved the youngest Winchester; too bad things were still too messed up to try to fix their budding relationship. "We're getting closer, hopefully we'll have Dean home in time for Sam's birthday, ok?"

There was a slight pause before Jenna answered hesitantly. Terrance knew why there was doubt in her voice, but allowed her the moment of privacy that he felt she needed. He just hoped that they all could give Sam the best birthday present possible; his big brother home. Hearing the door suddenly open, he was about to yell at whoever dared to just barge in, until he heard his assistant's words.

"Colonel, we have news!"

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As the sound of the helicopters got louder, the armed men became more nervous giving Dean the impression that even though they were used to fighting, they weren't prepared for what could possibly be an army. Watching the leader contemplate his words, Dean wasn't sure which way this would go and it made him more than a little nervous. Finally the other man looked at Dean appraisingly before speaking again.

"You knew we were there waiting for you, why did you not come and find out for yourself who we are?"

Shaking his head, Dean could only answer with the truth, "I'm on my way home to be with my little brother. I figured that we left you alone, you'd leave us alone and Sammy wouldn't be a complete orphan."

The other man looked into Dean's eyes and saw no deception in them. Looking at his men, he waved them off and watched as they disappeared into the forest. Before turning his attention back to the matter at hand. "You were not planning on telling them where to find us."

Dean gave a small snort before he smiled. "Dude, I have no idea why I'm here talking to myself. It's got to be the altitude or something."

A quick nod and the man was gone as quickly and quietly as he came. Dean had no idea who he was, and he didn't care, he had too many people to worry about and a freakin' party to plan. Turning back to the others he quickly ran into the clearing and started waving for the rescue choppers. Once he really saw them, and got a returning signal that he'd been sighted, Dean fell back to the ground thankful that they were one step closer to getting out of there.

"Hang on Sammy, big brother's coming home!"


	12. Chapter 12

They'd been playing poker with their little brother for several hours, and had hoped it would be a way to bring him out of the shell he'd been slowly folding himself into since they got word that Dean's plane had gone down. Now though Sammy looked as if someone had not only roughed him up, but kicked his pet cat too. Looking at each other they knew not to suggest that he lay down since they knew the kid would most likely be tossed into a nightmare quicker than the rest of them could blink.

"I fold." Sam said quietly, not looking at his brothers. He knew they'd been trying to cheer him up, but he couldn't seem to dig himself out of the pit he felt he was in. He knew about the party tomorrow, Vic had let a few things slip and it hadn't taken too much to figure out the rest, but he wondered just who would be showing up and if there was any chance of calling the whole thing off. Noticing the worried looks he gave a small smile and showed his hand. "See, I got nothin'."

The Musketeers knew that something was going on, and they all started to wonder if they had confused things; maybe they weren't distracting little bro, but he was distracting them.

Smiling, Taylor shook his head and stood from the table. "All right, I think I'm done for a little while. Who's going to help me find an excuse to tell Mandy why we haven't touched her tofu turkey salad surprise?" he asked; glad to hear Sammy laugh in sympathy for his plight. "No, really… if she shows up and we haven't eaten it she'll think she did something wrong and we all know how she reacts to that!"

They all groaned at the knowledge that although Mandy had a heart of gold, her cooking skills sucked but no one could stand to see her cry; hence the unofficial Operation Make Mandy Happy! So far it had gone pretty good. She felt she was helping Sammy stay healthy, while they all choked down whatever concoction she'd come up with, but there were times that even the Dean, the human food disposal, would look at what she brought over and turn it down.

Any response that was about to be made was cut off by the ringing of the kitchen phone. Taylor rolled his eyes knowing the others felt like they'd been saved by the bell. Playfully grumbling about traitorous friends, he reached over and answered the phone, almost dropping it when he heard the news. Hanging up he ran back into the living room.

"They found them! Dean should be home tomorrow!"

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If he thought he could have gotten away with it, he would have gladly strangled Congresswoman Marcia Tolliver. By the time they all had been rescued, she had not only come back around to the land of the living, but had immediately told her whacked out version about what happened. Now everyone had to stay and make statements as to what had actually transpired, delaying every capable person's departure until the matter was settled. Most of those on the plane couldn't understand what was so important until Mrs. Sanchez explained that the 'screeching monkey' was making trouble for him; then not only did they understand, but were more than willing to make their statements as quickly as possible.

Normally he wouldn't have had a problem with waiting, but he had a little brother who really needed him and this delay could really put a damper on the kid's birthday. Having already spoken to the Colonel, he had immediately called the apartment only to find out that Sammy had locked himself in his room and no one could figure out why or get him to open up. Now he felt helpless and frustrated at not being able to finish his mission and get home.

"I am sure everything will be fine." Mrs. Sanchez said kindly as she walked up to him.

Turning, Dean knew that the older woman was doing her best to keep everyone calm, and for her to take a moment to talk to him made him wonder if he was more transparent than what he thought. Nodding, he motioned to an empty chair and helped her sit down before joining her in the one next to her. "Has Maria and her brother been seen yet?" he asked, knowing that the sooner a doctor saw the little girl, the better the chance was they could help her.

Smiling, the woman nodded. "Yes, they have already taken them to a hospital with strict orders not to separate them. Now, how are you?" she asked, seeing the young man before her try to mask his pain. "You will soon be with your family?"

Groaning, Dean wasn't sure what to say to that. Sure he'd be with his family, just not quite sure about the soon part. He was about to comment when he was called in for another statement. Wishing the old woman luck in getting home, he took off down the hall hoping to get everything straightened out soon. Something was going on back home, and he needed to be there to find out what it was.

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Sam heard his brothers at his door, heard and even felt their concern, but this was something that he needed to deal with on his own; they wouldn't understand and even he felt foolish about what was racing through his brain.

Lying back on his bed he continued to pet Legolas while trying to sort out his thoughts. Technically it was his birthday now; his brothers had been trying to get him to open the door for most of the night. How was he supposed to explain what he worried about the most? He was sixteen now, Dean had left home shortly after his sixteenth birthday, their dad had left his home around that time too. Now, with all the hints of being more independent, he was starting to wonder if maybe he'd gotten the signals wrong after all, maybe his brother just wanted to make sure he was strong enough to make it out on his own. He knew he could do it, that wasn't the issue; he just didn't want to _have_ to leave. He'd actually started thinking that he and his brothers would stay close together, but that was stupid since he knew that they'd eventually marry and slowly leave too.

So now he had to figure out what to do, and what the purpose of the vision he had earlier served. Was it a warning that he was holding his brothers back, or was it something else all together? He could still see the images in his mind and he had to admit that it wasn't like any other vision he had, more like he was watching a movie of his family and how they'd grown. Dean and Katie with their little baby girl, Stephen and Celia and their little boy, Joseph hugging a beautiful blonde who couldn't keep her eyes off him, and then Taylor and Mandy with a set of twins about two years old a boy and girl. Nowhere did he see himself, it was as if they had forgotten him, and were happy to do so.

Sighing, he tried hard not to let the thought get him down, after all his brothers would be happy and that's what he wanted, right? Nuzzling close to Legolas, he drifted into a restless sleep and didn't wake until the sun was shining in his eyes and a hard pounding was heard at his door.

"Sam! Sammy! Open the damn door!" Dean yelled, wanting to kick it in so badly he could almost taste it. He had been allowed to come straight home after the statements were taken and he hadn't wasted any time doing so. He had asked the Colonel to help him get a ticket on an overnight flight and had just got home, but there was no way he was doing anything else until he saw his little brother. "Ok, you asked for it!" he said as he aimed his foot and kicked the door open ignoring the protests coming from the other Musketeers. What happened next though shocked him and the others into stunned silence. As the door flew open, Sammy bolted straight up in the bed yelling "NO!" and the door immediately slammed shut again. After a moment Dean looked at the others and simply said, "Well…that's new."


	13. Chapter 13

AN: I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, the ending is definitely dedicated to Sammygirl1963... hope everyone likes it as much as she does! ;)

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Dean stood there for a moment before turning to the rest of the Musketeers and demanded, "What the hell was that?"

Joseph had known right away that they should have sidetracked Dean and explained the new developments with Sammy, but the other man hadn't wanted to even take a moment to put his bag in his room, instead immediately going to little bro's room and ordering entrance. "Dean there's a few things you need to know, but man… you really need to sit down."

Looking around Dean could tell something had happened, which made him all the more determined to get in his brother's room and find out what was wrong. As soon as he turned to go in however Stephen blocked his way. "Seriously Dean, sit down. We need to fill you in before you get the kid even more upset than what he is. He barely eaten or slept since you left and the pain the kid's been in… well; let's just say it's not pretty."

"Ok, that's it… get out of the way Stephen. You say you want to talk, but all I'm hearing is stuff that makes me want to go through you to get in there." Dean said as he was about to make a move when he heard Taylor say something that took his breath away.

"Dammit Dean, Sammy's having visions!"

Stunned, Dean slowly turned wondering if he'd heard correctly. "What? Are you stoned Taylor, or just crazy?"

Sighing, Stephen steered Dean to the couch and waited until the other man had calmed down enough to actually have a conversation with him. "Dean, while you were missing something happened that made the Colonel call in a few favors and get the search and rescue team looking in a totally different area." He waited a moment to make sure Dean was still listening; they all knew that he wasn't one just to take a situation lying down. "Sammy had a vision, he knew they were looking in the wrong spot and was able to give Katie enough details that she was able to better pinpoint where you were."

Not knowing what to say, Dean nodded for the other man to continue, reserving judgment until everything was out in the open. Before Stephen could continue though, the door slowly opened and a very quiet Sam came out not looking at anyone. They watched as he went into the bathroom and heard the medicine cabinet open before the water tap was turned on. Dean started to grow impatient when he finally got a good look at his little brother walking out of the bathroom and felt his heart sink to his stomach.

"Sammy, God kiddo, you look like crap." Dean said, trying to sound lighthearted, but failed miserably as he noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the almost grey pallor of his complexion. Getting up from the couch, he guided Sammy back to the couch before he asked quietly, "They said you're the reason I'm home dude, that true?"

Sam didn't know what to say, so instead nodded slightly still not looking at either of his brothers.

Dean brushed the hair out of his brother's eyes and tried to see his face. "Sammy, I need to know what's going on. How can I help if I don't know what's going on?" Seeing the questioning look, he had to wonder just what was going through the kid's head. "Ok kiddo, here's the deal, I have no idea what's happening and you know how I hate being left in the dark, but I get that you're tired and probably need a few minutes to figure out how to tell me, so how's this… we all get ready and we go out for breakfast to start this celebration off right, ok?"

Having no idea what his brother was talking about, Sam just stared at Dean. It wasn't until he noticed his other brothers nodding in agreement that he really wondered what they were talking about. All he knew was he just wanted to forget this whole day and try to figure out what he was going to do next. One of the rent houses was already rented while the other still needed a few repairs and totally repainted, but was still livable.

Concerned, Dean and the others watched as their little brother seemed to lose himself to his own thoughts. Reaching out, Taylor put his hand on Sammy's shoulder and looked at Dean. "The visions are pretty painful and makes him pretty ill for awhile. Last night was the longest that he'd gone without one, right kiddo?" he asked, hoping that they'd get an actual response. When none actually came, he looked at the others hoping that someone else had an idea. Finally Dean had enough of the silence and slapped Sammy's knee as he stood and stretched.

"I don't know about you, but I'm heading to the shower. Sammy, why don't you decide where you want to go, my treat Birthday Boy!" he said, hoping to see a smile or at least some sort of acknowledgement.

Nodding, Sam got off the couch and made his way to the kitchen, leaving his brothers more worried than before.

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Sam stood at the kitchen sink trying to decide whether or not to try some toast so he could take his meds, but knew that at the moment his stomach probably wouldn't take too well to the idea. Changing his mind on the toast, he tried to ignore the conversation going on in the living room while he reached into the refrigerator for a small carton of milk.

Sitting at the table, he organized his medicine and sighed at the thought of having to take the pills for the rest of his life, especially the ones that normally made his stomach want to rebel. Realizing he was delaying the inevitable, he quickly took the pills in one swallow and finished the milk without taking another breath. With that chore done, he continued to sit there and listened to sounds of the quiet murmurings coming from his brothers. While he could hear their voices, he wasn't able to tell what they were saying, which actually was a relief to him as he could imagine Dean's reaction to have such a freak for a brother. Before he was just pathetic, but now he was the very thing that they'd been taught to loath and hunt; an abomination to all mankind that didn't deserve to live among normal people.

Thinking about the visions he had, he couldn't help but wonder what was happening to him and why. It wasn't as if he had asked for the ability to see into the future, into the possible deaths of others, and now if what happened earlier was any indication, he could move things with his mind. He hadn't meant to do it, but when the door crashed inward, he was instantly tossed back to another time, another place where locked doors were not allowed and in fact was punished. Now though he couldn't get the shocked look from his brother out of his face, and he wondered just how long it would actually be before he was asked to leave.

Taking a deep breath, he got up and walked towards his room, where as soon as he entered the living room, the conversation suddenly stopped. 'I really am a freak.' He thought sadly as he shut the door the best he could and started to change his clothes to try and face the day with some sort of dignity.

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Sitting in the living room listening to the others describe what had been going on with his little brother since he'd been gone, Dean felt as if he'd been sucker punched. Nothing seemed to filter through his brain except the fact that his brother had been suffering, and from what he saw, still was. Now the question was how they could help their little brother deal with what had happened before as well as whatever it was that happened just a little while ago.

Taylor had just explained how Sammy had refused to call Celia about some of his symptoms which not only worried him, but made him more that a little upset. The more he thought about it though, it made some sort of sick sense; it was probably the only thing Sammy felt he had control over at the moment, which made him worry all the more. He'd have to keep an eye out to make sure his brother better care of himself.

The conversation had lulled when Sammy walked through the living room and disappeared once again into his room. The apartment was instantly quiet as everyone mulled over what had been discussed and what that meant. Not liking the silence Dean looked at everyone and gave a nod.

"Alright, I need to talk to Sammy. How about everyone get ready and as soon as we get done then we'll head out of here." He said quietly, determined to find out what was going on. At first he was intent on just walking in, he thought better of it and knocked waiting until he heard a muffled answer before he walked hesitantly inside. "Hey kiddo, how're you feeling?"

Not sure how to answer, Sam turned and faced his brother before nodding slightly. "Ok I guess. I took my meds."

Dean nodded and continued to watch his little brother as he looked around the room as if he were either completely lost or trying to memorize everything as if it were the last time. "Sammy, what's wrong? You've been off ever since I got home and I have to tell you it's scaring the hell out of me. Are you really ok, or is there something else going on? I mean I know this wasn't how I planned to start celebrating your birthday but…" his voice died off when he saw the flash of panic in his brother's eyes and he wasn't about to let it go. "Sammy, what's going on? You don't want to go out for breakfast on your birthday, then that's ok, we'll do something else, just tell me so I know." Dean was starting to get frustrated when he heard his little brother's voice and once again tilted his world sideways.

"How much time do I have?" Sam asked, deciding it was better to get it over and done with now instead of waiting and dreading it all day.

Not understanding, Dean looked at Sammy wondering what he was talking about. Seeing that he wasn't going to get anymore out of his baby brother he knew he'd have to prompt more of an answer out of him. "How much time for what Sammy?" he asked, completely confused by how the conversation was going.

Looking at his brother, Sam wondered why this was so hard. "How much time until I have to leave."

"Leave? What the…? WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU LEAVE?" Dean exclaimed wondering just what was going on in his brother's brain. "Seriously dude, what the hell?"

Surprised, Sam could only stare at Dean for a moment and watched the variety emotions flicker across his brother's face before he answered. "I'm sixteen now, I thought that's what was supposed to…"

"Dude! What the hell… there's no way you're going anywhere! You're my little brother and whether you want it or not, you're stuck with me. I'm not letting you go anywhere until we're both old and grey do you understand me?" Dean asked, seeing the confusion on Sammy's face and wished he knew what had put that thought in his head. "Sammy, why would you think that?"

"You left after your birthday, and Dad… he left home after he turned sixteen, so I figured you'd want me to…"

"To what… just up and leave because of a damn number?" Dean asked, wondering how he hadn't seen this one coming. "Sammy, I left because I really thought it was best. I know it was the wrong thing to do, and I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, but damnit Sammy, you can't really think that after everything that you don't belong here with us, do you?" Dean watched the confusion on Sammy's face turn to fear before he saw something else…hope. "Ah kiddo, I'm sorry. I really screwed this up didn't I?" He asked as he stepped closer to his brother and pulled him into a hug. "Don't ever think that we don't want you around, 'cause that's not true. In fact, we've been trying to figure out how to keep you from getting itchy feet."

Sam pulled back and looked at Dean questioningly. "Itchy feet?"

"Yeah man, you know one day you're going to want to go to college, get a place of your own maybe even get married. We've been trying to find a way to give you all that, but from here. We know that you're going to get tired of us, but we really just want to keep you around for as long as possible." Dean said seriously. It had been a topic he and the others had been tossing around for awhile, one that they all agreed was coming but no one had a solution.

Shaking his head, Sam returned Dean's hug fiercely. "I don't want to go anywhere Dean; I just want to stay with you for as long as I can."

Dean looked up and saw the others in the doorway. They had obviously heard the whole exchange and they looked as worried as he felt. Something was still rattling around in their little brother's brain, but at the moment none of them thought he was up to revealing it. Knowing that Sammy needed to eat or suffer the ill effects of his medicine, he patted his brother on the shoulder and smiled. "Ok, enough with the chick flick stuff, we have stuff to do and we're running out of time to do it. So c'mon little brother, get ready, it's time to head out."

Smiling, Sam nodded and grabbed his clothes before taking off to the bathroom for a quick shower, leaving his brother's to wonder what had just happened.

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Jenna knew as soon as Dean was on a plane home and couldn't help but feel happy for Sam. Even though she hadn't seen or spoke to him since the incident in the cafeteria, she still loved him and wanted him to be happy. Now though she had to wonder how he was especially today. She really wanted to go to his surprise party, but wasn't sure how she'd be received. Hearing her phone ring, she didn't hesitate to answer knowing already who it was.

"Hey Vic, have you heard the news… Dean's home!" she enthused, knowing that her friend would be just as happy for Sam as she was.

Vic had learned a long time ago to never try to out think Jenna. "Nope, didn't know but that's great news. Maybe Sam will be able to relax and enjoy his party later on. You are going aren't you?" Vic asked knowing that even though things were still a little unsteady between her and Sam, that he would definitely want to see her.

"You know I want to, but I can't… it's too soon. I'll still help you get everything ready, but I can't stay." She told her long time friend quietly, hoping that it was just her imagination that her voice was trembling.

"Uh huh… look, you can help and be there for his birthday. It's been a tough week for him, and you know it's going to get even tougher tomorrow. You know that loveable moron still hasn't told those brothers of his about the trouble he's been having at the track meets? So how about you give him as much happiness as possible today so he can face tomorrow without feeling all gloom and doom."

Knowing that Vic had a point, Jenna conceded with one exception. "Ok, I'll stay… but only if he wants me to… if he doesn't then you have to bring me home."

Silently congratulating himself, Vic was doing his own version of a happy dance as he spoke nonchalantly, "Sure thing Sweetie, anything you say. So, I'll pick you up in an hour and we'll get the rest of the stuff for the party."

Hanging up, Jenna knew that Vic would actually take and hour and a half before he showed up, giving her enough time to compose herself and send up a heartfelt prayer. "Please let Sam have a wonderful day, he deserves it more than anyone I know!"

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The Musketeers knew that their little brother liked San Diego, so they piled into Stephen's Suburban and surprised him with breakfast at a little restaurant located right on the beach. The expression on Sammy's face when they were seated on the outdoor deck close enough to feel the surf's spray was well worth the cost of the meals.

So intent on making sure that he enjoyed himself, they had completely missed the look of relief on little bro's face when they all were heading back to the SUV discussing the rest of the plans for the day. Suddenly, Stephen and Taylor were attacked from behind causing them at first to prepare for battle until they realized it was Sammy, and then it was a complete dog pile giving little brother a huge hug from his brother's matching his smile.

Sam couldn't believe his luck. It was his birthday, he wasn't going to be asked to leave, his brothers still wanted him around, and even was showing it in all their actions and words. He couldn't help but exclaim in the confines of the group hug, "This is the best birthday ever!"

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AN: Hmmm... more questions than answers? Potential for more angst? Oh... and can big brother Dean keep from getting kicked out of Sammy's track meet? Yeah... you know you want to know! See you soon!!


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Well... I hope you all enjoy this one... don't forget to let me know!

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Dean looked into the backseat and smiled at the sight of his little brother sleeping with his head leaning on Taylor's shoulder. After having breakfast on the beach, they had basically kidnapped the kid for the day and tried to make up for lost time. Sure, maybe they overdid it, but the look on Sammy's face when they took him to the zoo, an amusement park, and then finished it off with a swim with the dolphins, was well worth looking lame in the eyes of others. He had never thought about how much he and Sammy had missed out while growing up until he'd left home, joined the marines and started to talk to his friends about their childhoods. After that he understood that how they were raised was screwed up and that his little brother was still in the middle of it. Now that he had a chance, he was going to take every opportunity to show his brother what was really out there waiting; a good and happy life if he wants it.

"Hey man, you think everything's ready?" Joseph whispered to Dean as he too watched little bro doze.

Nodding, Dean had already called to check up on everything and from what Vic had said, they had been ahead of schedule and were just waiting for everyone to show up. Now to convince the kid not to bolt when he saw the party in full swing. 'Sure...no problem. We're just tossing an introvert into a highly charged social situation.' He thought with sudden nervousness giving even more fuel to his self doubts.

Seeing the tension building within Dean, Stephen reached over and slapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, he's fine." He said confidently. "So what did Vic say? Was he able to get everyone together like he hoped?"

"Yeah, he managed to get everyone together; his friends from the team, Vic of course and a few others, but the one I'm worried the most about is Jenna. What if seeing her starts something and everything we've been planning gets messed up?"

Looking at Dean, Stephen could understand the concern. Taking a deep breath he nodded. "Yeah… ok, so maybe everything will be smooth sailing. It's not like something bad _has_ to happen, right?"

Dean snorted at the thought before he elaborated with words. "On Sammy's third birthday he fell out of a window and broke his leg. Do you know how difficult it is for a toddler to actually break a bone? When he turned five, John had decided that we needed to conserve cash so we went camping where Sammy here immediately fell into a patch of Poison Oak and started swelling so badly we spent the rest of his birthday in the ER. Would you like to here about his seventh or ninth birthday? They still wake me up at night in a cold sweat."

Holding out his hands, Joseph knew that this was turning into a totally different type of conversation than what they'd been going for, and then a thought struck him. "Hey Dean, did anything happen on an even birthday?"

Stunned, Dean thought a minute before he turned back and answered, "Yeah, one of them dealing with why he doesn't take to strangers well."

Joseph thought back to a conversation that had sounded completely bizarre at the time, but had answered more than a few questions, and realized that maybe Dean had a point. "So, the kid hasn't had any decent birthdays in a while… ok, so we'll just make sure nothing happens to make him want to swear off anymore."

Taylor listened quietly and hoped that they could live up to that, but something about the surprise party niggled at the back of his mind. Glancing down, he was glad to see Sammy still sleeping, he had a feeling that the kid was going to need all the rest he could get.

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Vic looked around and had to feel a sense of pride in what he'd accomplished. With the permission of the landlady's, he had transformed the backyard into a spectacle of lights and it didn't look half bad, if he said so himself. As he looked around he noticed the caterer was finishing the final touches on the tables and felt happy that Jenna knew just the right people to pull this off without seeming presumptuous; after all, the Guest of Honor needed to feel comfortable at his own party.

"It's beautiful Vic, Sam will love it." Jenna said as she walked into the backyard with Heather. "I can't wait until it gets fully dark so we can see everything better."

Smiling, Vic knew what Jenna was saying and had to agree. It was one thing to imagine what the lights would look like, but something all together different to actually see them in the contrasting dark.

Heather had known about the party and even encouraged it, hoping to keep Sammy's spirits up. Now though, she also had to worry about his reaction since he was a person of privacy. Trying to stay optimistic, she nodded and walked over to the table to see the standard teenage fair; chips, dip, sodas, cookies galore and her absolute favorite… M&M's surrounded by other types of candies. Although there was more along the other tables, she knew she needed to get out of there before she started eating the whole buffet and ruined the party before it started.

Vic and Jenna watched amused as Heather made her excuses and rushed back towards the apartment. Shaking their heads, they both looked at the time and knew that their first guest should arrive quickly, making them both nervous; this was the first time since Sam had gone home from school that anyone had actually seen him, and neither knew how this would be received.

"Hey you too, what's with the long faces, this is a party after all!" Toby shouted as he and his date walked up. Smiling he looked around and was pleased that they were going to have a Dj there as well, the last party he'd been to had a live band that stunk. "I hope he'll be her all night." He said motioning to the guy finishing his organizing.

Laughing, Vic knew he made the right choice with the music since Toby was considered the master of parties. Now all they had to do was get everyone else there before Sam arrived, otherwise the whole plan could blow up in their faces.

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Sam was comfortable, which was more than a little odd considering he was sitting up. It too a few minutes but he finally remembered that he was with his brothers in the Suburban going home. Smiling, he thought about the day they just had and he couldn't help but feel happy about it. He knew that the guys could have spent their time doing other things, but they had made sure he was having a great day and that was something he'd always be thankful for.

Feeling someone watching him, he slowly opened his eyes and noticed not only one but all four brothers looking him over as if to gauge his reaction about something. Clearing his throat, he embarrassingly sat up and made sure there was no drool on Taylor's shirt before asking, "What's going on?"

Laughing, Dean wondered just how they had gotten so lucky. After everything Sammy had been through it would have been so easy for him to have become cold, but that wasn't his little brother and right now it showed. "Well, at the moment we're watching the birthday boy sleep through his day." Dean joked, making sure he put enough emphasis on the kidding that little brother wouldn't feel bad about it.

"Sorry… big day you know?" Sam said with a slight smile. In all honesty he couldn't think of another time that he had so much fun; he really wanted to make sure they all knew how much it meant to him. "Thanks guys, really, this has been the greatest day I can ever remember!"

Patting Sammy on the back, Taylor smiled then looked towards Dean and Stephen wondering why they hadn't mentioned the party yet. Sure it was supposed to be a surprise, but what if the kid was already too tired to deal with something unexpected? Looking up he realized that it didn't matter since they were already pulling onto their street; they'd just have to watch Sammy closely in case things got too much.

Hearing the music playing loudly, Sam immediately came to the conclusion that the Nealson's next door was having another party. It wasn't until he saw the proud looks on his brothers' faces that he realized something was going on. Before he had a chance to ask though, Vic was there steering him to the backyard.

"Hey Sam, Happy Birthday! We need your help with something." He said as he continued to drag the young Winchester along.

Confused, Sam wasn't sure what was going on, but as soon as he turned the corner and saw what was going on he froze in mid-step as he saw a party in the yard with his friends from school as well as a few from the clinic who he'd joked around with when he volunteered. Hearing everyone cheering for him and his birthday made Sam want to jump back and run in the other direction. Feeling Vic's hand on his arm, he allowed himself to be guided closer even as his own emotions were about to explode everywhere.

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Dean watched as his little brother was lead into the ambush and suddenly realized that this wasn't the brightest idea they'd ever had. Looking back at his other brothers he saw that they had the same epiphany and were moving in to help with any situation that might occur.

Expecting a melt down of some sort, they were pleasantly surprised to see that Sammy looked extremely uncomfortable, but otherwise alright. Watching him move closer to greet some of his friends, they turned their attention to Vic with questioning gazes and suddenly understood; Sammy already knew!

"I hope you guys don't mind, but I thought he might freak if he walked into what we had planned, so I sort of let it 'slip' what was going on." Vic said hesitantly. He knew that the Musketeers had wanted to keep it a surprise for a reason, but looking at his friend he was glad for his interference.

"Dude, thanks… you're right, he would have freaked." Dean said, expressing the gratitude of all the brothers.

As they watched though, something became very clear and even Vic wasn't sure what was going to happen. Jenna was making her way towards Sammy.

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Jenna had seen Sam walk into the backyard and felt the familiar warmth spread through her. She wasn't sure if she was welcome, but she couldn't let today go without seeing him and telling him how much he still meant to her.

Walking across the yard, she vaguely noticed that the lights seemed to twinkle in the breeze, the music was playing and upbeat tune that she hadn't heard from but thought that Vic had something to do with, the people who had already welcomed Sam were dancing while a small group was still giving him their wishes. Praying that this wasn't a mistake, she moved her leaden legs closer and before she was really ready was standing in front of him, dry mouthed and more nervous than she had ever thought possible. Suddenly he saw her and she saw the slight smile on his face freeze.

"Sam… Happy Birthday." She said with a smile, hesitantly watching as a myriad of emotions flickered across his face.

Sam had seen Jenna as soon as he walked into the yard, but now he felt as if everyone was watching to see what his reaction would be. Nervous, he wasn't sure how he should react. He still loved her, but he couldn't trust her and that's what hurt him the most. He knew that a lot of people would have just cut all ties, but he wasn't like that… he'd spent too many years alone and he hated the idea of reducing the amount of people around him who cared about him. Nodding, he smiled at her, but didn't try to make any other sort of contact; he just wasn't sure how to handle this situation. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned and saw the Colonel standing there with a wide smile on his face.

"Sam! I hope you don't mind me crashing your party, but I just couldn't stay at home while you turned sixteen now could I? You know, your brothers have been very selfish today, and I'm glad we finally got the chance to help you celebrate." Terrance smiled brightly, truly happy to see Sam surrounded by friends and family. Glancing back, he saw the signs of relief on the Musketeer's faces and knew he had made the right call. Now all he had to do was convince Jenna that it was time to go soon, so maybe Sam could finish enjoying his birthday party.

"Thank you sir, I appreciate it… really." Sam said, hoping he conveyed not only his thanks for the Colonel's best wishes, but also for the rescue of a social awkward situation.

With the potentially embarrassing moment averted, the party restarted in full swing giving Sam a moment to breathe before turning back to his brothers and smiling before joining Toby and some of the others at the tables.

Jenna knew that although everything didn't happen the way she wanted, it defiantly didn't go down as she feared and for now that was enough. Watching Sam finally interact with the people who cared about him, she knew it was time to bow out and quit attempting something that could actually harm the very person she loved so much. Turning to her father, she smiled up at him. "Daddy, do you think you could take me home?"

Nodding, Terrance smiled at Jenna with pride. His little girl was growing up and knew when it was time to let something go. Seeing the Musketeers, he smiled and gestured they were heading out. After seeing their appreciative nods, he offered his daughter his arm and they walked away knowing that although the damage hadn't been fixed, at least no new damage had been done.

Sam was in the middle of a conversation with Mary, one of the girls from the clinic, when he saw the Colonel and Jenna leave, and while he felt somewhat relieved, he also felt his heart twist painfully at the thought of what they'd lost.

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"Damn it Dean, hurry up! Sammy's already there and if we don't get a move on he'll think we forgot!" Stephen yelled to the closed door. Although he knew they had plenty of time to get there, he didn't want to cut it close today. After all, this was the first time they'd been able to attend one of little bro's meets and they all were excited to see him run his even: cross country.

Dean stepped out of the bathroom with a grin, knowing that he'd just upset Stephen more. "Dude… chill! We have plenty of time. Sammy had to be there early to sign in and get ready. What's with the freak fest?"

Growling out his frustration, Stephen turned and made his way to the door ignoring the other brothers' grins and laughter. The all knew that he hated to be late anywhere, it didn't matter the place, reason or time, if he was late; he was a bear to live with for days.

After getting everyone in the Suburban, they raced off towards L.A. where the Regional Track Meet was being held this year. It didn't take them long to get there, but amazingly took a bit of time to find a parking spot and find Sammy's teammates.

"Hey guys, about time you showed up… Sam's so nervous he's about to shake himself apart!" Toby said jokingly before motioning to where their little brother was standing.

Nodding, they made their way towards the team noticing that Sammy was the only one wearing long sleeves and pants. Even more disturbing was the fact that when they saw him turn towards him there were bandages on both cheeks.

"Sammy what the Hell!?" Dean exclaimed as he reached out towards his little brother's face. "What happened?"

Startled, Sam took a step back and looked at his brothers questioningly before he understood what they were talking about. "Oh, this? Don't worry its no big deal. There's a rule that says anything considered offensive has to be covered."

Shocked, his brothers could only stare a moment before finally Taylor spoke up with a deadly calm. "They think your face is offensive?"

"What? No! Not my face… the scars on my face. Apparently the consensus is that some of the wording is inappropriate. Really… no big deal, it's not like this is the first time I've had to do this." Sam said as he watched his brothers stare. Before he had a chance to say anything else, Coach Sanders walked up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sam, do you think you can get hold of your doctor again?" he asked, feeling uncomfortable to even ask the kid for something like this. "One of the other teams is having a field day with your health status and is requesting proof that you're not a health risk."

Ignoring his brothers angry protests, Sam smiled. "I can do one better… she's right over there." He said as he pointed Celia out in the crowd.

As the Coach nodded and started to make his was to the bleachers he paused in front of the Musketeers. "I've tried to shield him as much as possible, but unfortunately there are way too many close minded individuals out there. Sam though seems to take it in stride. I'm sure you boys are proud of him."

Watching the Coach walk off, they turned their attention back towards their little brother. Seeing that he was watching them, they all wondered just how many times he'd been asked to undergo this type of embarrassment. As little bro stretched they looked around and saw the different teams go through their preparations and wondered how many of those kids had some sort of illness that could be considered 'inappropriate' but was hidden from prying eyes. Joseph was about to ask something when another group passed by and caused all hell to break loose.

"Yeah, it must be tough not only having to be close to the diseased freak, but have to workout with the homo too. Makes you kind of wonder if the whole team doesn't swing that way, don't it?" one boy taunted as his teammates laughed heartily.

Although Sam stayed quiet, knowing his teammates were his friends and they stood by him, Dean was already in action grabbing the kid and spinning him around to face him.

"What did you just say?" Dean demanded of the boy, not caring that the others were trying to calm him down.

Smirking, the kid continued, "Just that it makes me wonder why he's let out in public. It's obvious he likes it rough, maybe he needs to be on a leash and…"

The sound of Dean's fist hitting the kid's face carried causing a sudden silence through the audience. It wasn't until he felt the hands of security guards on him that Dean understood that he just screwed up royally. Turning his head, he saw the hurt on his brother's face and the realization that it was aimed at him hurt him more than he ever thought possible. 'Ah damn!' he thought as he was escorted off the field, leaving his brothers to deal with the aftermath.


	15. Chapter 15

AN: I hope this doesn't disappoint, see you all soon!

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Dean sat in the back of a security vehicle wishing more than anything that he could turn back the clock, not to stop himself from standing up for Sammy, but to keep himself from hurting his little brother. He couldn't get the look that Sammy had given him out of his head, and now that he had time, wondered about it. What had he done to hurt his brother so badly?

Looking at his watch he saw that the meet should have already started, and he wondered why he wasn't hearing the normal commotion that would normally take place during something like this. Confused, frustrated, and more than a little upset, Dean wanted to kick his way out of the SUV and head back to his brothers if for no other reason than to make things right with the youngest of them. As he sat there brooding over what happened, a horrifying thought occurred to him; what if he went to jail?

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he quickly speed dialed the Colonel's cell phone and silently prayed that he wasn't going to get too much of an earful. As soon as the call was answered, he knew immediately that sometimes God's answer is 'NO!'

"_Dean, what the hell have you done now?"_ the Colonel yelled over the phone, not bothering with pleasantries. _"Do you have any idea what you've just caused? My God man, couldn't you have reined in your temper for just a few minutes?"_

Stunned, Dean took a deep breath before answering. "I'm sorry sir, but the kid was…"

"_From what I'm getting, the kid was a pain that was going to be tossed out of the meet anyway due to his lack of sportsmanship. Now though, they're debating whether to let Pembridge participate at all… including Sam! Do you have any idea how long that boy has worked to become at least moderately accepted into that school? How long he's trained to work in synch with his teammates so if one isn't able to participate in an event he can step up in addition to his own? Damn it Dean, there are colleges there… any chance of getting one of them to convince the kid he could go on a scholarship could just have blown up in our faces!"_

Listening, Dean wondered if that was the reason for the look on his brother's face, but instinctively knew it wasn't. Now more confused, he had no idea how to fix this mess and was about speak when the Colonel cut him off.

"_I'm almost there. I can't say that I can get you off the hook, and damn it, I don't know if I want to even try, but I will tell you this; after we get Sam calmed down, he's coming to stay with me tonight and I don't care what I have to do to make it happen."_ With those parting words, the Colonel hung up the phone leaving Dean to wonder just how everything had got so screwed up.

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"What do you mean they have to withdraw? They didn't do anything wrong, why punish the kids for something an adult did?" Stephen argued with an official. He turned slightly to watch Sammy and knew that things were going downhill fast when Celia looked at him with tears in her eyes. Turning back to the other man, he requested five minutes to try and figure out a solution to their problem, once granted, he raced over to his little brother and saw that the kid was sitting still with a blank look on his face.

"He won't say anything to anybody." Celia said quietly, noticing that Sam's teammates were making a point to stay close by.

Stephen knew that Taylor had already put in a call to the Colonel while Joseph was in a deep discussion with Coach Sanders, leaving Sammy to him. "Hey kiddo, c'mon, it's not that bad…"

"He hit that kid Stephen!" Sam began quietly. "He was just mouthing off and Dean just hit him… why?"

Shocked, Stephen had to wonder if maybe the kid had got hit in the head without them knowing about it. "Why? Why? Come on Sammy… I may not agree with Dean's methods but he was just looking out for you. The kid was spreading lies about you and that wasn't going to help anyone."

"No, you don't get it. What he said was no big deal to me, but what Dean did was. Is that what he thinks of me? Is that how he feels when I'm not around to ruin his fun?" Sam asked, wondering why he even had to explain himself. "Stephen, what that guy said was just talk, but what Dean did gave power to it. If people weren't talking about me before, they will now… especially if I'm not allowed to participate. Has everything that you guys told me just been a lie so I didn't eat a bullet?"

"Oh God Sammy… NO! We love you little brother, I thought you knew that. We just can't stand by and watch someone harass you like that, that's all." Stephen assured the younger brother, wishing more than anything that he had been able to pull Dean back before that hit connected.

Before Sam could say anything else, Coach Sanders, Joseph, and the even official made their way towards him with dour looks on their faces. Taking a deep breath, Coach Sanders started the conversation.

"Sam, it's in the rules; any unorderly conduct caused by anyone in the audience risks automatic forfeiture for the team they represent. When your brother hit that kid, it basically put us on the ropes. We have come to an agreement though, and I'm hoping that you understand but…"

"Coach, I'll head home… don't make the guys miss this… not because of me." Sam stated as he saw the unease build within his coach.

"Oh hell no!" Toby shouted gathering the rest of the team together. "If Sam doesn't run, we don't run… right?"

"RIGHT!" the collective yell automatically sounded, causing Joseph to relax, but the official to become even more surly.

"Coach Sanders, the decision stands. Either Winchester leaves or you forfeit each event. The choice is yours."

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Terrance knew that after everything Sam had been through, this was just going to be another blow, and he had no idea on how to soften it for him. Sighing, he pulled into the parking lot and immediately caught sight of the security SUV currently housing a member of what he calls his family. Although he had wanted to wait about this particular confrontation, he knew that he needed to get it done and over with so they could deal with more important issues.

Showing his ID to one of the security guards, he let himself inside the back of the vehicle and looked Dean over, wishing that someone could fill him in on what was going on inside the young man's head.

"Colonel, look…"

Holding up his hand, Terrance shook his head. "Dean, just be quiet for a moment, ok? Right now we have a situation that needs to be handled delicately otherwise you could spend a lot of time in jail, and how do you think Sam would feel about that?" Seeing the despondent look on Dean's face, he nodded in understanding. "Look, I'll try to get you out of here, but I can't make any guarantees. As far as Sam staying with me, I still think it's a good idea, but let's let him decide."

Dean sat there and wondered what would happen if Sammy didn't stay with them anymore. The thought clenched his heart and turned his insides cold at the thought. He knew that he needed to make everything right, to explain to his little brother how much he loved him and the thought of anyone hurting him sent him over the edge quicker than anything.

Movement from the stadium entrance made Dean take a second look, causing his concern to skyrocket. Pointing towards the crowd leaving the meet, he saw the Colonel's expression turn from mild concern to something… more.

Getting out of the vehicle, Terrance was met by a uniformed guard. "Sir, I wanted to let you know that under the agreement that has been reached, Mr. Winchester is free to go with the understanding that he's not allowed back on the premises. Since the other person involved is eighteen, then it makes things less complicated and no charges will be filed."

Nodding, Terrance motioned Dean out of the SUV and they both rushed towards Sam and his teammates. Dean reached Sammy first and hoped to get a moment alone with him but Toby's voice stopped him short.

"They were going to make Sam leave, so we're boycotting the meet. No one treats one of us like that! Now if you'll excuse us, we're heading to my place to cool down, I'll bring him home later."

Stunned, Dean could only stare at the backs of Pembridge Academy's track team noting that his little brother didn't look his way even once. Feeling as if he'd been kicked, he looked towards the others and wasn't happy with what he saw. Celia and Stephen looked as if their puppy had been run over, Joseph looked as if he could take on a whole battalion, but it was Taylor who actually made him worry, especially when he spoke seven words that made him feel that his life had just taken a huge wrong step.

"We need to get some things straight."

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Toby knew that Sam wouldn't be in the mood to talk, but that was too damn bad! After getting everyone settled, he set out to find the youngest of the Musketeer clan and wasn't disappointed to find him outside… alone… staring off into space. He'd already put in a call to Vic and was leaving it up to the rest of the guys to let him in, so he had more than enough time to kill to pull his friend out of the funk he'd fallen into.

Walking up next to Sam was always a little tricky; it was as if he could sense you coming a mile away; a little nerve wracking, but not too bad. Add to it though that there was only one side you could approach him and things often got more complicated. Making sure that Sam knew he was there, Toby waited until his friend shifted before he started talking.

"Sam, I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. Dean doesn't think any of that. The guy's just hyped up on so much testosterone I bet he didn't even know what he did until that guy was on the ground."

Sam was listening to his friend talk about Dean as if he was talking about a stranger and that was a bit unnerving to him. He knew that his brother was a hot head; it was something that he'd always counted on. But this was different. His brother hit someone just because they were talking bad about him, as if to shut them up. It made him wonder just how Dean saw him now. Was he some pathetic loser that needed his big brother to deal with the school bully? Or worse, did he really think that his little brother was homosexual with more than one kink and he didn't want it advertised, so he saved himself the embarrassment? Too many questions ran through his head, and those hadn't even touched what his friends did for him.

"Toby, you know it would have been alright if you guys stayed. What that moron said, it wasn't a big deal and the meet wasn't that important to me… but it was to you. Why did you guys stand by me like that… don't you know that college scouts were there looking for the next greatest athlete?" Sam asked, not remembering anything Toby had just told him.

Smirking, Toby shook his head before letting out a deep breath. "Sam, you're our friend. We might not have grown up the way you did, but we do understand loyalty. One of our friends was being asked to walk away from a situation he didn't cause, and we weren't going to let him do it alone." Seeing the surprise on Sam's face, Toby smiled. "You know what, how about we go inside, and we'll let the guys decide."

It didn't take long for the consensus to be announced; if one fell, they all fell…together.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: I hope you enjoy it... sorry it's so short!

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Dean looked at Taylor and nodded before asking quietly, "Ok, what things?"

"Do you know that our little brother thinks that you believe what that jerk was saying about him? It's tearing him apart for him to think that the only reason why you reacted that way was because you wanted to shut the kid up to save us from any embarrassment. So, we need to know right here and right now… is that how you really feel?" Taylor demanded, ready to beat Dean into the pavement if he found out that everything he had thought he'd known about his friend had been a lie.

"WHAT… NO!" Dean exclaimed, looking around to each of his friends… his brother's. He felt a moment of intense anger towards them that they could think that of him, but it suddenly diminished when he realized where their doubt was coming from; love. The love they had for Sammy rivaled his own and he suddenly understood where they were coming from. While his love for his little brother was shown by his reaction to take care of a perceived threat, they were doing the same; even if in this case the possible opponent was him. "No… I've never thought that about Sammy – ever! Hell, I wouldn't care if the kid dressed himself in a damn PRIDE flag and marched down Main Street as long as he was happy. Damnit, I need to talk to him… get this straightened out!"

Although relieved, the rest of the Musketeers as well as the Colonel were wary about letting the brothers so close to each other especially with emotions running so raw at the moment, but they also knew that the longer Sammy had to dwell on it the longer it was going to take to straighten everything out. Not sure which way to go on this one, they decided to leave it up to the one person who would know how Sammy felt at the moment.

Stephen pulled out his phone and quickly dialed the familiar number before waiting impatiently for an answer. Finally though, the call was connected and Stephen felt relieved at the voice he heard.

"_Hey Stephen, is everything ok?"_

"Yeah Buddy, just checking up on you. How are you anyway?"

"_Fine. The guys are loading up a DVD at the moment. They wanted to make sure I wasn't by myself while I thought about everything."_

"They're good friends kiddo. Hey, I wanted to let you know that it was a misunderstanding, ok? He doesn't think anything like that and wants to tell you in person so you can see for yourself he's not lying." The pause on the other end of the line was palatable, making Stephen worry that maybe he was pushing too hard, too soon.

"_I just need a little bit of time to think things over, ok? I need to work on the new house, so I'll probably stay over there for awhile, if that's ok."_

Stephen could see the tense faces surrounding him and he knew he needed to make a tough decision. Finally choosing the more unpopular one, he agreed. "Sure kiddo, but on one condition… you call us when you get there no matter what time, and you make sure you take your meds like your supposed to, alright?"

"_Yeah, alright. Hey Stephen… thanks."_

Putting his phone away he turned his attention back to the others. "Ok, he's planning on working at the new rent house tonight… I call first shift."

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Vic was more than happy to go to Toby's to make sure Sam was alright. It amazed him though about the change in attitude the team seemed to have. He had never kept his preferences a secret and often got harassed by others, but to have the entire track team willing to put their prejudices aside to help their friend was amazing. Then again, Sam did have a knack for bringing out the best in people.

An hour after arriving and being filled in by Toby and the others, he knew that his friend was hurting in a really bad way and wasn't sure how to help. The only thing he could think of was to give him a ride to someplace that he had no idea where it was to begin with. Sensing the need within Sam to get away from all the well intentioned people, he quickly thanked Toby for including him, and took off towards his car.

As they drove, Vic was worried about the silence, but wasn't sure what would be welcome; music, small talk, or the sound of the wind coming in through the windows. Finally though the decision was made for him when Sam pointed to a house on the right.

"That's it, right there. Just pull into the driveway and come in." Sam said with a surprising eagerness that threw Vic back for a moment.

"Uh Sam, I know you need some time to yourself, but don't you think you should ask the owners before inviting someone into their home?"

Sam paused a moment before laughing. It didn't take long to pull the right key out of his bag and open the door for them to unload Vic's car of the groceries they had bought. Motioning for his friend to follow, Sam smiled as he looked around at the work he'd already accomplished. The crown molding was in place in need of a good coat of paint, while the tile in front of the fireplace was cut and placed but not grouted yet. It would only take another day for the house to be ready to rent, but for now he was just happy to have it in order to get away from everyone for awhile. As much as he loved his brothers, he just need some time on his own every now and again.

Looking around, Vic saw a house that had obviously had some work done to it, and wondered about it. "Hey Sam, you said that you and your brothers have a rent house, right… is this it?"

"Actually, this is house number two. The realtor says she already has it rented if I can get it ready in a couple of weeks, but I just need to do a few more things to it and they can move in." Sam said with pride in his voice. This was something he was good at; something that didn't involve risking everything for, didn't have the potential to take his life if he failed miserably. It might not be glamorous, but it was good enough for him.

"That's great Sam, I'm glad to see it's working out. So the Musketeers get free labor, right?" Vic joked as he looked around the house, impressed by the workmanship he saw.

"Actually, I do all the work; they just sign any papers that need it. All in all it works out ok I guess." Sam called out from the kitchen as he put the items in the fridge. He knew Vic was a real friend who wouldn't make fun of him for doing hard labor. As he walked back into the living room though, he was surprised by Vic's question.

"So, do you think you can teach me how to do this?"

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Stephen knew that he wasn't fooling anyone by sitting in the Suburban watching the house his little brother was in. He wasn't meaning to be conspicuous, in fact quite the opposite; he wanted Sammy to know he was there if needed. It didn't take long for his plan to come to fruition when he saw a familiar dark head glance out the window and five seconds later his phone rang.

"_Hey Stephen, comfy?"_

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am. How about you, everything ok?" he asked, smiling at the shadow in the window.

"_Yeah, I'm good. Vic's going to help paint the molding and I'm going to do the grout work around the fireplace. I'm hoping the tenants can move in by the middle of the week."_

"That's great news Sammy! I know that you haven't been spending as much time as you wanted on it, but I knew you'd finish it quickly."

"_Thanks! Hey, uh… is Dean still mad at me?"_ Sam asked hesitantly, wondering if he'd completely pushed his big brother away. They might have some issues to deal with, but Dean meant everything to him.

Stephen laughed, "Are you kidding me? Who do you think has the next shift? The man's a bulldog I tell you!"

Sam smiled before nodding, _"Yeah, he is. Oh, hey… before I forget. We ordered a pizza from that organic restaurant down the street, so don't shoot the delivery guy when he comes to the door, ok?"_

"Smartass… I'll try to restrain myself. Now hurry up and get back to work. I want to see you tomorrow, ok?"

"_Ok. Hey Stephen… thanks again."_

Putting his phone down once again, he leaned his head back against the headrest and continued to watch the house that his littlest brother was in. So intent on the house that he didn't see the movement in the side mirror until the door was already opened and a gun was in his face.

"Get out of the car!" the voice behind the gun demanded, blinding Stephen with the light of a large Maglight aimed at his eyes.

'Damn it.' Stephen thought as he vaguely heard the sound of a car door closing close by, making him wonder just how many of these jokers there were.


	17. Chapter 17

Sam had just finished his conversation with Stephen when he heard two things that made him look out the window once again. The first was the sound of a car pulling up and the other was his neighbor Paul shouting at someone to get out of the car. Thinking that the off duty police officer had jumped the gun and was terrorizing the delivery guy, Sam walked out onto the small porch only to freeze at the sight that greeted him. His brother was being pulled out of the Suburban and looked to be in trouble. Ignoring the pizza that was slowly making its way up the sidewalk due to the deliverer's fascination with the goings on across the street, he rushed to where Paul was about to arrest Stephen for who knew what.

"PAUL! PAUL… DON'T!" Sam yelled as he rushed across the road not bothering to look for traffic.

"Damn it kid, look where you're going!" Paul yelled back but stopped from chastising the kid any further once he got a good look at Sam. "What's wrong kiddo, you look like someone just kicked your puppy."

"Paul, that's my brother Stephen! He's watching the house to make sure no one bother's me while I'm working; you remember I told you they get a little weird when I'm not in their line of sight." Sam explained while placing a hand on Stephen's shoulder to show he wasn't scared.

Seeing Sam's gesture and replaying the conversation about the kid's brothers in his head, Paul Lambert felt more than just a little ridiculous. After placing his gun in its holster he rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand while offering Stephen his right. "Yeah, yeah ok… sorry about that man, you just never know who's going to pop up and try to cause trouble. Really, I'm sorry for the mix up. I worked a double after working a stake out a couple nights ago and I swear the shadows are starting to stare back at me you know?"

Stephen cautiously looked between this guy 'Paul' and his little brother and wondered what the story was to cause the man to react that way. Then upon further consideration, he realized that he probably wouldn't want to know after all. Holding his hand out, he shook Paul's hand and they both relaxed before turning back towards Sam.

"Paul's a police officer. Apparently the realtor told him about me and that I'd come around to fix up the house before renting it so not to be surprised to see a kid in and out at times. The first time he saw me though he called it in and I had cops all over my lawn trying to figure out it I was who I said I was or just some punk kid trying to tag the house." Sam said while remembering the day clearly. It was one of those few days that the coach hadn't kept them for practice and he had decided that a last minute drive by to the house wouldn't be out of line before heading back home to his brothers' watchful eyes. It wasn't until he was surrounded that he realized his miscalculation of events.

"Yeah, the kid looked like a deer in headlights. It took a call into the realtor before we got it all straightened out, but afterwards he and I had a long talk about what the neighborhood was like and what the neighbors expected." Paul motioned them to his garage and pulled open a refrigerator and offered them something cold to drink, making sure Sam took on to Vic while he and Stephen talked some more. "You know your brother's a good kid, I like having him around here. It's a shame though that he'll be renting that house out to strangers instead of living there himself."

'Strange comment, but I'll see where it goes.' Stephen thought as he watched the other man pour his soda into a glass of ice. "Have you had trouble around here?" he asked, hoping to sound genuine but really wanting to know just how much danger little bro could be in around here.

"Hmmm? Oh… no, not really. I was just meaning that when renters move in you never really know who they are… its kind of unnerving if you know what I mean. With someone like Sam around then I know what's next door and don't have to worry about locking the windows and doors as much."

Understanding finally crept up making Stephen really wonder just what was on the officer's mind. So you and Sammy have gotten close." He stated plainly, trying to keep his tone neutral, but definitely needing to make sure that they hadn't been making a mistake in allowing Sammy to work on the house by himself.

Nodding, Paul smiled as he pulled a picture off his workbench. Turning he handed it to a very startled Stephen. "As you can imagine I thought I was seeing a ghost when I first met Sam, he looks so much like my brother Andrew. He died when he wandered into one of the cases I was working on." Seeing Stephen's confused look he smiled sadly. "Sam seemed nervous knowing that I was part of the police department, and I got the impression that if he knew I was actually a detective he'd have totally lost it. What's his deal with cops anyway?"

"It's a long story, and not really mine to tell." Stephen said as he stared at the picture of a skinny teenage boy with long wavy hair and dark eyes. It took a moment more for the chills to stop racing down his spine. When he finally handed the picture back he saw a flicker of something in the other man's eyes that he couldn't place. Before he had a chance to think more about it, he heard his name being called and knew that his little brother was hoping for some attention; a rarity that he wasn't willing to overlook. "Coming Sammy!"

Paul regarded the large man in front of him and was more than a little glad that he hadn't actually shot the man; he knew that would have put a strain on his and Sam's relationship.

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Dean had no idea what he'd find at the new house, and was more than a little nervous about the idea of talking to Sammy about the misunderstanding. It wasn't that he thought his brother had anything to hide; he just hated that people automatically jumped to conclusions without even knowing the kid. Sighing, he took another large gulp of the coffee he had quickly made before heading out from the apartment and wished that he had brought more than one thermos, he had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

Pulling in front of the house, he saw that Stephen wasn't in the Suburban and instantly started to think in worst case scenarios. Seeing a shadow move across the living room window he understood that the other man was inside and agitated about something. Gathering his things, he quickly locked up Taylor's car and made his way up the sidewalk noting that he didn't have a key. When the door opened suddenly, he knew that Stephen had been impatiently waiting for him and was about to call out to Sammy in raw panic when Stephen moved out of the way and motioned to the curled up ball in front of the fireplace where a fire was burning low enough not to be overwhelming but still able to give off the heat needed to ward off any chills.

"What's going on?" Dean asked, worried about what had his friend up in the middle of the night pacing like a deranged lunatic.

Stephen wasn't sure what he should say. _'I think the guy next door wants our brother for his own.'_ or maybe, _'I don't know how he does it but Sammy seems to be a magnet for the strange.'_ Neither sounded right, so he instead diverted the question with one of his own. "Why are you here? You're not supposed to be here for another hour."

"What? I can't come early and spend time with _my_ little brother?" Dean asked, feeling more than a little insulted. He was about to say something more when he noticed the tense vibes he was getting from Stephen. "What's going on? You look like you're ready to rip something apart and I know it's not Sammy, so what has you tied up in knots?"

Sighing, Stephen told Dean everything that had transpired so far while watching over their little brother, including the feeling that he was missing something regarding the overprotective detective next door. He wasn't surprised to see Dean's eyes darken or his fists clench, but what came out of his mouth surprised Stephen to the point of silence.

"Damn it, why does Sammy always have to be a trouble magnet?"

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Sam knew when Dean pulled up since he was in that in between realm of sleep and wakefulness, not that he could have missed the screeching of Taylor's tires the way his brother had hard braked in front of the house. It was a good thing though that he'd been expecting his big brother otherwise he would have been worried that something had happened. As it was though, he allowed himself to stay drifting, enjoying the fact that the freaky vision thing had left him alone all afternoon as so far all night as well.

Hearing both of his brothers voices made Sam feel safe and he was more than willing to relish in it for awhile longer, until he heard Dean's reaction to something Stephen had told him, then all he wanted to do was crawl under the house and stay there for the rest of his miserable life.

"_Damn it, why does Sammy always have to be a trouble magnet?"_

'I don't know Dean, but you won't have to worry about it too much longer.' Sam thought as he tried to ignore the rest of the conversation. He had known that is was just a matter of time before things fell apart between him and his brother, he had just hoped he had a little bit more time though to figure out what he was going to do.

Looking over towards Vic, he saw his friend was still sound asleep. Feeling grateful for that small favor, Sam walked quietly through the house and out to the small backyard, hoping to get away from the words inside the house and his thoughts outside all the while knowing that there was no place to hide from the truth.


	18. Chapter 18

AN: I am so very sorry for the delay... hopefully this chapter makes up for it!

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Stephen knew something was wrong as soon as he and Dean walked back into the living room; Sammy was gone! Seeing Dean's reaction, he had barely enough time to keep the other man from bolting out the door before the sound of the back door opening brought them both back to the possibility that their little brother hadn't disappeared, but just went outside for a minute. Suddenly their conversation passed through both their minds and the idea that something might have been misunderstood slammed into both men hard, sending them rushing towards the back of the house in hopes of finding Sammy.

Sam heard his brothers running towards him so he waited by the door knowing that any movement would freak them out more. He had hoped to be back before they knew he was gone, but that obviously wasn't going to happen. All he wanted was to be able to take a minute and try to get his emotions under control without interference, but obviously that was going to be too much to ask. Sighing, he saw both Dean and Stephen coming through the doorway and instantly knew that he'd been found out.

'Great, not just a trouble magnet, but an eavesdropper too, just what Dean wants around… not!' he thought to himself, wishing he could just disappear but knew that wasn't the answer either.

"What's going on Sammy? I thought you were sleeping?" Dean asked, trying hard not to sound upset, but the thoughts of what could have been's kept popping up in his head. Trying hard to calm himself, he took a good look at his little brother and didn't like what he saw; it was as if they were back at day one. "Sammy… kiddo… you ok?"

Frustrated at himself as well as the situation, Sam would have rather been kicked in the groin than face his brother's right now. His instincts were telling him that he needed to run, to get away from the whole situation, but his heart was telling him that things had been better and he should try again. The conflict within him was getting to be too much and all he wanted to do was go back inside and sleep until the whole fiasco had blown over, but his brothers were in the way and he knew they wouldn't let him go around without an explanation so we was stuck; staring at them as if he had no idea what to expect from them.

Seeing little bro's dilemma, Stephen attempted to get Dean to back off only to face off with one seriously pissed off Winchester.

"Dude… back off!" Dean demanded as he pulled his arm out of Stephen's grasp. Turning back to Sammy he could barely make his brother out in the dim lighting from the house, but what he saw worried him… Sammy was scared… of him! "Sammy, come here we need to talk." He said before he could clamp his mouth shut. 'Idiot… those words are never a good thing.' He chastised himself silently. "What I meant was I'd like to sit down and talk to you face to face about what happened earlier, ok? I know that you're tired though, so how about we do that in the morning, after you get some sleep… ok?"

Not sure what to think about the new development, Sam stood there in the dark contemplating if maybe he had it all wrong and that he was actually still asleep and this was actually a dream. Feeling almost moronic for following a dream's suggestion to go to sleep, he walked inside without saying anything to either brother. Finding his spot on the floor he once again curled up and this time was asleep before his eyes fully closed.

"Ok… what the hell was that?" Dean demanded as he watched his Sammy stumble back into the house seemingly no longer aware of his surroundings.

Stephen had no answer for Dean, but the worry he had felt earlier escalated. Looking over his shoulder he wondered if maybe the neighbor had anything to do with Sammy's odd behavior.

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The bedroom curtain fell back into place without notice giving the room's occupant more privacy as he contemplated what he'd just witnessed. Feeling as if he was letting an opportunity get away, Paul sat by the window and watched the house next door for any other signs of disturbance while forming a plan in case he needed to act quickly.

"Don't worry kiddo… this time I won't fail."

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The morning dawned bright giving full view of the newcomers that had just arrived at the small soon to be rental house. The neighbor's had already gotten the news about the excitement that had happened on their nice quiet street the night before, and now were feeling more than a bit curious as to the new set of events unfolding before them.

"Uh, any idea why we're being stared at?" Taylor asked Joseph in hopes that maybe he knew what was going on. He looked around again before knocking on the door as saw three or four neighbors blatantly watching them while several others pretended to be doing something completely casual but failing miserably.

Joseph knew what Taylor was asking, but he didn't have any answers either which made him more than a little cranky. Something had to have happened earlier to get a reaction like this, and that thought made him want to kick the door down to find out what was going on. Before he had a chance to air his opinion though, the door opened and a very stressed out Stephen stood there staring at them a full minute before letting them it. Yeah… something was definitely going on.

"Come in so they'll stop watching." Stephen grumbled, not really wanting to think about how he and Dean stayed up all night watching over their brother. "That better be coffee in your hands otherwise we're going to have a major discussion."

Laughing lightly, Joseph handed over a large cup before turning to see Dean sitting next to Sammy, watching him as if he thought he'd disappear any moment.

"What's going on?" he asked hesitantly before turning back to Stephen and getting another glimpse that something was definitely not right if the look on the other man's face was anything to go by.

"Something weird's going on, but we can't be sure what." Stephen said quietly as he motioned for the others to follow into the other room. When he was sure they were out of earshot, he quickly filled both men in on what had happened the night before.

"You have got to be kidding me." Taylor said harshly. "We just got Sammy thinking that he belongs with us, and now you're telling me that all that's out the window?"

"We won't know for sure until Sammy wakes up and we find out exactly what he heard and how he took it." Dean said from the doorway. "Right now though he's sleeping soundly and I really don't want to wake him even if it means he'll be late for school."

The Musketeer's nodded in agreement knowing that the past few days was only a part of what was going on with their little brother. Between Dean missing, psychic powers going online, his now ex-girlfriend diagnosed with cancer, and now the misconception that his brothers thought he was a freak… yeah, the kid really needed to sleep, the rest could wait until later.

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Jenna hated the feeling of nervousness that she was feeling, but even worse was the feeling that she had when she thought of Sam. She knew that with one phone call he'd be there with her… for her… but she knew that wouldn't be right; she was the one who ruined everything, so she'd stick with the consequences.

"How are you Sweetheart?"

Looking over to her father, Jenna tried to smile, but felt that the strain was weighing heavily on her face. "I'm fine Daddy. Don't you have to work today?" she asked, sure that there was some big meeting that he was supposed to be at that moment.

Terrance smiled and patted his little girl on the knee. She reminded him so much of her mother that it was painful. "Don't worry about that, I was able to reschedule the meeting for later; there was someplace more important that I needed to be."

Feeling herself tear up, Jenna hugged her father tightly with the intention of never letting go. No matter how much she wanted to be brave, she was really terrified of this whole ordeal. The doctors didn't want to talk about odds of survival because of her age and the aggressiveness of the cancer, but were more than willing to discuss their experimental treatments to not only kill the cancer, but possibly preserve her organs at the same time. No matter how often she went over the information though, she still wasn't able to fully understand everything they told her, and that's what scared her the most.

The knock on the door brought both father and daughter back to awareness in time to see two doctors walk into the room.

"Good Morning Jenna, are you ready to get started?"

Looking at her father, Jenna was about to follow the doctor's out of the room and was just as surprised as everyone else when she suddenly blurted, "No… no I'm not!"

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Taylor had watched the others leave for the base to get ready for a meeting, knowing that Dean really wanted to be the one to stay with Sammy for the day, but the consensus was to allow someone else to step in to field the situation before Dean and Sammy came face to face again. Now though as he stood there and watched Sammy sleep, he worried that maybe it was the wrong course of action since the longer their little brother had to think something was wrong the longer he'd dwell on it thinking it was fact.

Sighing, he tried to keep his thoughts away from the news that Dean and Stephen had shared, but it was hard to ignore the fact that someone was watching Sammy a little to closely for the Musketeers comfort. Knowing how their brother got when things got tense, it was easy to make the decision not to fill him in on their suspicions, after all someone would be with him at all times now whether he wanted them to be or not.

Vic had left a half hour ago to get ready for school, noting that the youngest of the Musketeers wouldn't be there today, which left Taylor watching over Sammy until the kid woke up by himself. He was just starting to get worried about the length of time his little brother was sleeping when suddenly he was staring at a pair of terrified dark eyes and knew that something bad had just happened.

Hearing his phone, he hesitated in answering it when he caught the terrified look on Sammy's face. Glancing at the caller ID he tried to push aside the ice that had settled into his stomach, but knew that he couldn't delay the inevitable. Taking the call, he hadn't even had a chance to answer it verbally when the frantic voice on the other end had him scrambling for the keys to Mandy's car and grabbing for Sammy to usher him out the door.

"We're on our way!" he yelled into the phone as he pushed Sammy out the door.

"It's Dean isn't it?" Sam asked, terrified that his dream had just turned into reality.

Nodding, Taylor helped Sammy into the car before he attempted to pull his thoughts back together. 'Damn it, he was just supposed to run the car home for me before going to the base, how could this have happened?' he thought to himself, the guilty building with each passing second. Getting behind the wheel, he turned to Sammy and tried to sound encouraging. "Don't worry too much kiddo, its going to take more than a wreck to keep that brother of yours down."

Staring out the window, Sam tried hard not break down, but it was increasingly hard with the knowledge that he had no idea what happened to his big brother. Staying as quiet as possible, he watched the houses speed by as Taylor ignored speed limits to get them to the hospital as quickly as possible.

So lost in their own grief, they failed to see the figure standing at the window of one of the houses smiling widely at the scene that was unfolding before him.


	19. Chapter 19

AN: I was asked not to let you hang over the weekend, and who am I to refuse... hope this does the trick... don't forget to let me know!!

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Sam knew he had seen his brother's last conscious moments, and what he saw terrified him. The sound of tires squealing, Dean cussing as the brakes failed, the sound of the Camero slamming first through a fence before careening into a light post where it and the occupant moved no more. The sight still lingered with him as he saw his brother unconscious and pinned in the car with the engine smoking and people yelling while trying to find a way to get Dean out. The thought of Dean dying made him sick to his stomach but he fought the feeling knowing that his big brother was in worse shape than he was. He knew that if anyone deserved that to happen, it was him not Dean; his brother had helped so many people and was still needed. He was just a trouble magnet and more of a burden to his brothers than anything else. No, if anyone deserved this, it was definitely him.

Taylor didn't like the silence that had descended on his little brother, it was as if the kid was blaming himself and he didn't like that one bit. Trying to concentrate on the road, he attempted to keep the conversation he'd just had with Joseph out of his head with little success. Although it had been short and to the point, it conveyed more than just words; Dean was in trouble. The car had apparently lost all braking function sending Dean straight into a light pole where they had to pry him out with the Jaws of Life in order to assess his condition. At the moment Joseph and Stephen were at the ER waiting on news and wanted the rest of their brothers with them. One thing that definitely stood out in the conversation though was they were more than scared, they were terrified, which left Taylor wondering just what they would find when they got there.

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Stephen stood in the middle of the waiting room with the need of at least appearing to do something besides sit on his ass and stare at the doorway. 'Yeah, like standing in the middle of the room staring at the doorway is so much better.' He thought bitterly, wondering when he became such a damn jellyfish. Then he remembered, it was about the time they realized that Dean wasn't hotrodding down the street, but really in trouble. No matter how old he got he would never forget the sight of Dean slamming into the post and then… nothing. The realization that Dean wasn't going to jump out of the car with a grin and a smart ass remark like 'What a rush!' had hit him about the time that he saw Dean bleeding, unconscious and barely breathing. Sighing, he ran his fingers over his head and tried to release some of the anxiety that was still prominent in his body and mind.

Looking over he saw Joseph staring at the floor tiles with an untouched cup of coffee in his hands that he was pretty sure a nurse had thrust into the man's hand in hopes of keeping him still for two seconds. Their arrival into the ER was definitely filled with energy and Stephen understood why the staff was concerned about what they might do. He almost laughed at the thought of what they had to look like as they escorted Dean's seemingly broken body into the doors yelling for more help and completely disregarding the paramedic's opinion of things. Yes, he could definitely see why the nurses thought they both were deranged lunatics. With that thought in mind he was once again looking around for security personnel sure that they had not only been called but that they were watching very closely in case they were needed.

"Stephen! How's Dean?" a voice boomed down the hallway causing more than one displeased nurse to turn their way.

Seeing the Colonel as well as Jenna rushing down towards them, Stephen and Joseph quickly made their way to meet them wondering what they were doing there already. Noticing their confusion Jenna answered their unspoken question.

"I was supposed to start treatment today so we were here already." She said as she watched the two closely. These men were like brothers to her, sons that her parents never had, and now one of them was hurting in another part of the hospital and there was nothing they could do about it. "How's Dean?"

"We're not sure yet, the doctors are still with them and nurses aren't telling us a damn thing." Stephen growled in frustration. He knew it wasn't Jenna's fault and he was sure that she knew he wasn't angry with her, but he still felt bad snapping at her especially with her being so ill right now.

Jenna nodded in sympathy and was about to voice her opinion about hospital staff when he saw movement close to the doorway ceasing her train of thought. The sight of Sam so scared sent cold chills through her and made her want to hide from the evidence that her rock was infallible.

Terrance saw Jenna's reaction and turned to see both Taylor and Sam rushing towards them looking more frightened than he'd ever seen either of them. Glancing at his daughter he could only imagine the pain that she too was feeling, but also knew that this was something that she was going to have to deal with.

"Sam, Taylor, in here!" the Colonel called out, hoping that keeping Jenna close wouldn't be detrimental to Sam's health. After all he was completely oblivious to the amount of stress the boy had been under and having Dean out of commission was just going to be one of the additional factors that could be the young man's undoing.

"Anything yet?" Taylor asked while looking at everyone. He hadn't obeyed any of the posted speed limits and ran every light he could to get them there quickly. Now it looked like it was a wait and see game and that wasn't something that Taylor liked to do.

The Musketeers watched their little brother closely and knew without a doubt that the kid had a vision of what happened which was something that they each wished hadn't happened; Sammy didn't need to be that privy to their brother's pain. Seeing that Sammy was about to collapse in the middle of the room Stephen and Taylor grabbed his arms and guided him towards a chair that Joseph pulled closer. After getting their little brother sat down, Joseph took position next to him rubbing circles on his back in the effort to calm him down. There was no doubt that Sammy wasn't going to say anything to anyone for awhile, but that didn't mean that he needed to feel alone.

Celia walked into the waiting room not sure what she would find but not fully expecting what he did. Sam was bent over holding his head in his hands while Joseph rubbed his back, Stephen and Taylor took guard positions next to their brothers as if to field any interference from the outside world, and the Colonel seemed to be overseeing the whole operation while Jenna looked like all she wanted to do was hold Sam in her arms and never let go.

"I have news. Dean is still unconscious and has a definite concussion but we're also suspecting a fractured skull. His ribs and sternum took a nasty beating from the steering wheel slamming into them, but the good news is that there doesn't seem to be any breaks to bones or damage to his heart. We'll have to wait until he wakes up to fully assess damages, but from what I hear Dean's extremely lucky to be alive." She said calmly, praying that she hadn't just giving them too much too quickly. These men were like family to her, and the one thing she didn't want to do was hurt them more than they were already.

Sam looked up and tried to fight back the tears while he asked, "He'll be ok?"

Ignoring the effort it took Sam to stammer the small question out, Celia nodded, "I believe so yes. Right now our main concern is the head trauma which can be tricky, but we'll monitor him and take care of any issues that arise before he wakes. Right now though, he's getting a CT scan to assess whether or not he has a skull fracture. Once that's out of the way then we can figure out the best course of action for treatment. Sam, I know that you're going to want to be in there with him, and I can arrange it but you have to take care of yourself too, alright?"

Nodding, Sam would have agreed to anything in order to see his big brother. He hadn't told anyone about what he saw, but he had a feeling that they already knew and that was why they were insisting on staying so close to him. Right now though all he wanted to do was make sure Dean was alright and let everything else fall away; he didn't care about himself, all he cared about was Dean.

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Celia was more than a little concerned about what was going on in room 203. The patient there for all intents and purposes was going to be fine, but he still hadn't woken up in order to alleviate everyone's fears. However it was the other person in the room that had her more concerned. Sam hadn't left his brother's side even for a moment since he had been allowed inside the room and that was more than twelve hours ago. Each of the Musketeers had tried to coax the boy away to get something to eat and to take a few moments to relieve the stress he was obviously under, but nothing seemed to work. Short of sedating him, Celia wasn't sure what else she could do, but if something wasn't done soon, she was sure Sam was going to pass out from exhaustion.

"Sweetheart, what are you thinking?" Stephen asked from behind the doctor, the concern more evident than ever as they both watched Sammy from the doorway as he stared at Dean as if he was concerned that the only thing keeping his brother in the land of the living was his presence.

Shaking her head, she didn't want to voice her opinion, but knew that the brothers were thinking the same thing… Sam needed intervention soon otherwise they could lose him. "I don't know Stephen. I want to give him more time with Dean, but at the moment that's the only thing he's focused on. We need to get him to eat and get some rest, but right now I don't know how to do that without isolating him more than he's done himself."

Looking beyond his girlfriend, Stephen watched the monitors and noticed that there wasn't any change in Dean's vitals which could easily be considered good, but didn't help anyone's fears. The severe concussion had thrown Dean into a shallow coma, but the longer he stayed in that state, the more concerned the doctors were becoming that he could slip deeper and that would devastate Sammy. Looking again at his little brother, Stephen saw the signs that the stress was becoming too much. They had noticed the slight stutter in the ER waiting room, but since then he had refused to speak to anyone verbally, instead making his intentions known by body language and the intent refusal to be moved. He knew they were going to have to do something soon, but short of carrying Sammy bodily out of the room, no one had any ideas of what they could do. Taylor and Joseph were on their way back from getting everyone something to eat in the hopes of at least trying to keep Sammy's strength up, but that would only work if he ate.

Jenna walked up to the pair and waited a few moments before she asked, "Do you think I could help?" She knew that Sam hadn't left Dean's side and she was more than a little concerned about the strain it could put on his health.

"I'm sorry Jenna, but I doubt if seeing you right now would help much." Stephen said, aware of the pain he was inflicting on her but unable to care.

She knew she deserved the attitude, but at the moment she was more concerned about Sam than what anyone else thought about her. Straightening her shoulders, she walked past Celia and Stephen and didn't stop until she was next to Sam. "Sam, you need to eat. Why don't we go down stairs for a quick bite then we'll come right back."

Sam sat quietly and continued to watch Dean's even breathing not acknowledging Jenna until he quietly asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I was supposed to start treatment today. Daddy and I were here when Dean was brought in." Jenna said quietly, wondering if there was more to the question than what she thought.

"Supposed to?" Sam asked, barely glancing at her but knowing that she would answer anyway.

Standing silent for a moment, Jenna wondered how she should respond. Sam had his own worries right now, and adding her issues to them just seemed too selfish. Seeing him glance back at her again she nodded. "I backed out. I know that it seems silly, but what if this treatment didn't work, I'd be too sick for them to try anything else and I just couldn't do that to Daddy." She hadn't meant to let everything out, but once she started she couldn't seem to stop. "I know that it was the best way to go if I had a chance of surviving and possibly having kids later, but if it didn't work then it would take everything away anyway. I couldn't see the point of risking everything on a maybe when I have a definite chance as long as I stick with another protocol."

Silence took over the room as Sam listened and understood what Jenna was saying. Sometimes it was a simple case of the lesser of two evils; the problem was distinguishing the two. It took a moment before he nodded and answered. "So you think a more traditional approach gives you a better chance."

"No, not really. There's just too many unknowns and I worry about making the wrong decision and leaving Daddy behind; he's been through so much already."

Sighing, Sam ran a hand through his hair before turning towards her. "Jenna, if having children wasn't a factor, which one would you go with? Deep down you know the answer, the question is, are you ready to admit it." Having said that he turned his attention back to Dean, effectively dismissing her.

Stunned, both Celia and Stephen stood still and watched the interaction between Sam and Jenna. At first they were both angry that she would lay her pain at his feet, but then understood that for that moment it took the focus of his pain away from him. Seeing Jenna suddenly understand what she needed to do was something that neither would ever forget, it was as if something had finally been pieced together within her and a light came on giving her a confidence that she had been lacking since her own diagnosis.

Jenna gave a short nod and a final glance towards Dean before she exited the room leaving the others quietly contemplating the last few minutes. It wasn't until Taylor and Joseph came in with bags of food that Celia and Stephen moved from where they were standing, but what got their attention the most was what Sam said so quietly to Dean that if there had been any other noise in the room they would have missed it.

"I'm so sorry Dean, it should have been me."


	20. Chapter 20

AN: I hope you all like this chapter... don't forget to let me know!!

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Taylor wasn't sure if he should be happy or upset that they had finally convinced Sammy to leave Dean's side. Of course the alternative was considered unacceptable and after confronting him about it, Sammy had grudgingly agreed to go back to the apartment and get some sleep; apparently the threat of bodily removing him was just enough motivation to make even the strongest of wills concede. They knew he wouldn't stay away long, but even a couple of hours rest would make all of them feel better about the situation. Celia had gone so far as to suggest a slight sedative to help the kid relax, but all the brothers had quickly nixed the idea knowing that if they agreed to that then they would lose his trust forever. Then again, the concession Sammy had made had the rest of them kicking themselves, after everything that had happened, they didn't feel comfortable with letting him out of their sights, but that was the agreement; Sammy would go home for no less than two hours, but he needed to be alone.

Stretching, Taylor noticed that he wasn't the only one watching the clock and knew that it was going to be a long time before they saw Sammy's dark eyes again and in that amount of time anything could happen. However, it was the only way they could show their little brother that they trusted him and wasn't the 'trouble magnet' that he now felt about himself. So instead of protecting him like they preferred they all had to stay behind and hope that everything fell into place. Of course it helped that part of the agreement was little bro was to call as soon as he got home, stay at the apartment with no wandering off, and call when he was about to leave. Still not feeling all that confident about the situation, the brothers took turns pacing around Dean's room alternating between staring at Dean willing him to wake, and looking at the clock as if it had done something offensive.

Stephen's cell phone rang, signaling Sammy's call, bringing everyone's attention to him. Taking a deep breath, he made the decision to stay calm and not let his anxiety show. "Hello… Hey Sammy, you get in ok?... No Buddy, no change… you know we will, but there won't be… yeah I'm sure, Dean's stable and there's no sign of further complications… ok, you get some sleep and we'll see you soon." As he hung up he rubbed his hand over his eyes and prayed that he hadn't lied to the kid. Dean was stable, and there weren't any signs of more complications, but what if something happened suddenly? He knew that Sammy would never believe him and would use it as an excuse to push everyone away again. Looking at everyone he tried to smile. "He got home without any problems and is about to hit the couch, he'll call when he's about to leave."

Nodding, Joseph and Taylor tried to focus on the problem at hand, why Dean hadn't woke up, but they kept going back to what was really bothering them; what happened to the Camero and did it have anything to do with Sammy?

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Sam hung up from talking to Stephen and made a note of the time on the DVD player before going into the kitchen and making himself a small milkshake. He wasn't really hungry but he knew that his brothers would give him the riot act if they found out he hadn't eaten anything while away from their watchful eyes. Pouring a small amount in a glass, he put the rest in the freezer in hopes it would show he had done something productive, then he moved towards the living room forcing himself to drink along the way. He hadn't even made it to the couch when a knock at the door took him by surprise. Quickly turning on the TV and the DVD player to give the apartment the appearance that it wasn't empty, he opened the door slightly and was shocked by who he saw.

"Paul? What are you doing here?" he asked, not sure what to make of the policeman tracking him down.

"Hey Sammy, look I came by to make sure you're alright. I know that was your big brother in that car and when I heard I made sure to get the top people in forensics on it. I just wanted to let you know that we're taking this case seriously and to make sure you're doing alright."

Something in the tone that Paul used set Sam on edge and he now wished more than anything that one of his brothers were home to help him figure it out. It didn't take long though for his suspicions to grow when the man in front of him sighed deeply before speaking again.

"Look Sammy, I hate to do this, but I have to ask you a few questions. So if you could get one of your brothers, we can get this taken care of quickly, ok?" Paul asked, wishing that he hadn't been put in this position.

"Questions?" Sam asked wondering what Paul thought he had answers for.

Paul reached into his pocket and pulled out his shield suspecting that the kid before him wouldn't like it too much. "Yeah, I've been put on this case. There are too many signs that this wasn't an accident and I need to ask you a few questions, but I can't do that without a legal guardian."

The words hit Sam hard. It wasn't an accident, a police detective wanted to talk to him, his friend was a detective! Not able to handle the situation further, Sam slammed the door and locked the deadbolt quickly without uttering a sound. As he stood there staring at the door, he wondered if Paul would kick the door down, but all he heard was a persistent knocking on the door. Finally even that stopped, and Sam slowly lowered himself to the floor not wanting to take his eyes off the large piece of wood in front of him in case it was a trick. He knew he should call Stephen, Joseph or even Taylor, but he had wanted to prove to them that he wasn't some sort of trouble maker, but it looked like he couldn't even do that right.

The two hours past slowly and still Sam sat and stared at the doorway. It wasn't until he heard the jingling of keys and the rattling of the doorknob that he pulled himself back to awareness in search for something to strike out at the intruder. The shaft of light coming from the foyer into the living room was the first sign that he was too late.

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The clock was either wrong or taunting them, that was the only explanation that they had for their little brother not calling right at the two hour mark as they had predicted. Their worry compounded when they realized that he wasn't answering his phone. Making a quick decision, Stephen and Joseph took off towards the apartment while Taylor stayed behind to watch over Dean, each one sharing the same thought; why did I let Sammy go alone?

Speed limits were just suggestions and suggestions were merely opinions, or at least that's what Stephen told himself as he raced the Suburban down the street in the attempt to get to the apartment in record time. None of them would forgive themselves if anything happened to their little brother, unfortunately with the evidence they had on hand, there was a very real possibility that something already had.

Joseph continued to try Sammy's cell phone but eventually the calls switched straight to voicemail causing the anxiety level in the SUV to skyrocket. They were only a few minutes away now but it felt like they could be hours for all the good it did. The idea of calling 911 wasn't even approached due to the hope that little bro was sleeping deeply and wasn't hearing the phone; it was the only thing that kept both men from going insane while waiting to get to their destination.

Screeching to a halt in front of the apartment building, they didn't bother taking the keys or shutting the door, instead leaving the vehicle to idle while they raced up the sidewalk and through the front door of the foyer. They both halted suddenly as they heard the TV clearly indicating that the door was at least slightly open, making both men wonder what they were really walking into.

As they crept up the stairs, they both pulled out their guns and quietly made their way closer to the door preparing for the worst. As they got closer they both heard muted whispers with the occasional sob, making their rage burn brighter. Not hesitating any further, Joseph kicked open the door while Stephen covered him, but as they got a glimpse of the room inside they both stared not able to comprehend the sight before them.

Two sacks of groceries lay scattered across the floor next to a knitted handbag and a shoe. The TV was still on but now showing the credits of an unknown movie with the soundtrack blaring through the speakers giving the illusion that the sound was echoing off the walls. However it was what they saw in the middle of the floor that caused both men's hearts to stop. Sitting in the middle of the floor was Mandy holding a catatonic Sammy in her lap as she tried to comfort him. They saw the tears making their way down her face but it wasn't until she looked at them with tear filled eyes that they saw the bruising across her cheekbone and wondered with horror what had just happened.

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_Sam stood there in shock knowing that he didn't have anything in his possession to defend himself except himself. He knew that his brothers would have said something as they opened the door, it was something they always did when they thought he was by himself, so he knew that it was someone else coming through the door and he had no idea what they wanted. Knowing that he couldn't cower in a corner, he did what came naturally and charged towards the door, so focused on stopping whoever was breaking into his brothers' home he failed to notice the outline of the person walking in arms laden with groceries. It wasn't until he had already grabbed the intruder by the arms and swung them around that something in the back of his mind started to emerge, but it was already too late as his fist connected with flesh causing a cry of pain to be heard throughout the apartment._

_Stunned, Sam stared at the person in front of him not understanding what had just happened, but then the reality of the situation slammed into him full force; he had just hit Mandy. He. Hit. Mandy._

_Looking between his knuckles on his right hand and Mandy's left cheekbone, he stared at shock for a moment before it all sunk in leaving him breathless. "Oh my God… Mandy… I'm so sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" he said over and over not hearing her response but knowing that he had truly messed up and would never be forgiven; he shouldn't be forgiven, he'd hit someone who didn't deserve it, he was the monster that his Dad had always claimed, he didn't deserve to live._

_Mandy had been surprised when she was flung into the apartment, and more than a little stunned that it was Sammy who was manhandling her, but when he struck her she was more confused than anything. Then she looked up and saw the stark horror on Sammy's face and understood that he hadn't known what he was doing, that he had already been scared out of his mind, why she didn't know but that didn't matter now._

"_Sammy, its ok. Sammy?" she called out to him, but nothing seemed to breach the veil of shock that he seemed to be wrapped up in. It wasn't until he stared at her with unseeing eyes and started to collapse that she knew this was serious. Not wanting to leave his side even for a moment though, she cradled Sammy against her and tried to comfort him letting him know that she didn't blame him and it was safe to come back. It wasn't until she heard tires screech to a stop that she knew help had arrived and that's what she told Sammy in another effort to bring him back to them. When she heard the door kick open however she could only look up to the two men in the doorway._

"He didn't know… I did some shopping for you guys, I swear he didn't know it was me. Something happened, he didn't mean it." She cried out, praying that she hadn't ruined the brothers' relationship, but most of all, praying that she hadn't caused Sammy's downfall.


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Sorry for the wait but apparantly my muse's interest is directly proportional to the response recieved per chapter. Hope to see you all soon!

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Stephen and Joseph stood in shock as the words Mandy uttered finally sunk in, afterwards came understanding if not confusion. As Stephen rushed to Sammy's side, Joseph went to the kitchen for ice barely noticing the milkshake still in the blender in the freezer. Mandy was trying hard to make them understand what happened, but that didn't matter, what did matter however was to bring Sammy back to find out what happened while he was out of their sight and making sure it never happened again.

"He didn't know it was me, I thought the apartment was empty so I didn't think to say anything. My God, the look on his face… Stephen, he was terrified. What happened to make him feel that way?" Mandy cried out as she continued to stroke Sam's hair in the attempt to comfort him.

Shaking his head, Stephen didn't have an answer only more questions. Looking at little bro he prayed that they could break through this new obstacle themselves knowing that medical intervention would only make matters worse. Trying to give Mandy an encouraging smile, Stephen spoke quietly. "Mandy, it's alright; we know that he wouldn't hurt you on purpose. Right now though you need to let go so we can get him more comfortable."

Mandy looked up at Stephen before nodding and backing slowly away. When she looked again Joseph was holding a dish towel full of ice for her and Stephen had managed to pick Sammy up and carry him into Dean's room. Puzzled, she watched Joseph for any indication of what was happening.

"This has happened before and he responded better in Dean's room. Don't worry, we're not leaving him alone until he wakes up and lets us know what's going on." Joseph told her, hoping that they wouldn't have to wait too long.

"I have to call Taylor, but what do I tell him? I don't want him to be mad at Sammy, but he'll ask me what happened and I don't want to lie to him."

Joseph smiled and reached for his phone. "Don't worry about it, I'll fill him in. How about you take over the couch and deal with that ice pack while I do, ok?"

Numbly, Mandy made her way to the couch but didn't lie down; instead content to watch as Joseph put in the call to her boyfriend to explain what happened. She wasn't sure what was really being said, but she could tell that the Musketeer was really having a tough time getting a word in. Finally though the conversation came to an end and he turned to her to give her a quick wink before disappearing into the bedroom currently housing his brothers.

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Hoping that they weren't making a mistake by not taking Sammy to the hospital, Stephen sat on the edge of the bed watching the littlest of the brothers, praying that there would be some sign soon of his wakefulness. He could hear Joseph speaking to Taylor and it didn't sound like things were going well. 'Great, that's all Sammy needs right now is for someone to start pointing fingers at him.' he thought with disgust. When he found the person who scared his Sammy so badly that the kid resorted to striking out, he was going to wring their necks and laugh while doing it.

Seeing little bro constantly staring into nothing was definitely disconcerting, but there was no way he would be any place else. Now though he needed to figure out a way to not only bring his youngest brother back, but keep one of their other brothers from going ballistic on the kid. Hearing Joseph walk into the room he wasn't prepared for what came out of the man's mouth.

"Ok, I just talked to Taylor, and he's upset… not at Sammy though. He's wondering what the hell happened and how we're going to find out without freaking the kid out even more. I told him that I'd ask around while you kept Sammy grounded." Joseph said hurriedly. He knew that the best way to find information was when it was fresh in people's minds, so he was determined to see if anyone saw anything. Seeing the stunned look on Stephen's face he shook his head. "What, you thought Taylor was going to hate him or something? Get real dude, we all know there's not a vicious bone in his body unless there's a damn good reason for it. Call me when he wakes up."

Watching Joseph walk out of the room, Stephen let out a breath he didn't even he was holding. Turning back to Sammy, he smiled. "Hey kiddo, you need to hurry up and come back to us. How are we supposed to explain to Dean what happened while we were supposed to be watching over you, huh?" he asked, hoping for a twitch but instead got steady breathing from the bed. "Ok, don't worry about it we've got you covered. You get me Sammy… your big brothers got your back.

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Taylor placed the receiver back on its hook and pondered the phone call he just had. Sure he was upset and of course his normal reaction would to beat the hell out of anyone who touched his girlfriend, but there was no way he could place blame at Sammy's feet; not after everything that had happened the last several months. He knew that his little brother didn't get that scared for no reason, and when he found out what had triggered that response he was going to make sure that that person paid dearly.

Looking over at Dean, Taylor wondered just what was going on. First the brakes went out on his perfectly tuned Camero causing Dean's almost demise, and now their little brother was freaking out and lashing out. No, something or someone was definitely behind this and he was going to find out what as soon as Dean woke up.

"Come on bro, we have a little brother that really needs us right now, so enough of this beauty sleep already. We have work to do, so wake up!"

Celia heard Taylor talking to Dean and wondered what had him so worked up that he'd be willing to yell at the other man. Walking into the room she tried to lighten the mood, "You know he didn't mean to wreck your baby Taylor."

Seeing Celia walking closer, Taylor couldn't help but smile at the scene he was sure he had just made. Nodding, he had to agree but wasn't sure exactly how to explain what had happened and how they were all now handling it. Finally he decided that giving it to her straight would be the best way.

"Yeah, I know, that's not it. Something happened with Sammy and now he's all freaked out and we're trying hard to figure out what to do."

Looking at Taylor, Celia wondered exactly what happened but wasn't sure how to approach the subject. "You know I can swing by if you want me to and make sure he's ok."

Taylor was just about to decline the offer when a slight movement from the bed caught their attention.

"You know a person heals faster when people aren't pestering them." Dean groaned, hoping that the people in the room would get the point.

"Dean! Man, it's good to see you!" Taylor exclaimed. Sure Dean still looked like crap but at least he was awake which; was a major improvement from a short while ago.

Looking around, Dean could tell that something was wrong and it wasn't just the fact that Taylor looked like he was about to explode. "What's going on… where's Sammy, is he ok?" Dean managed to grunt out as he attempted to get out of bed.

Worried, Celia rushed to Dean's side and gently pushed him back down onto the bed. "Alright, enough! You've been in a major vehicle accident, not to mention a coma. The last thing you need right now is to get yourself worked up. Now lay there until you feel better then we'll explain everything, got it?"

Dean wasn't sure what to think, and then realized that he couldn't even do that without feeling foggy. His gaze locked with Taylor's but before he could ask anything else he slipped back into oblivion.

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Sam wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew that he definitely wanted to stay in that clueless state he was in for awhile longer. Here he felt no pain, no sadness, just a calm feeling that he couldn't remember ever feeling before. Yes, he definitely wanted to stay where he was, not matter where that actually was.

Suddenly though he realized that he wasn't alone, that there was someone there by him but he wasn't sure who it was or why they would be there. Then he felt it, something was touching him, a strong hand on his arm. Not sure what to think about that he waited until something else occurred, a slight sound like a voice calling to him making him want to go back to where ever he was before. Not fully understanding what it meant, he decided to follow what he knew, follow the voice and the hand in hopes of finding himself.

Blinking didn't seem to help at first; everything seemed out of focus, dim, and far away. It wasn't until he blinked several times that he started to understand that the voice was actually more than one and they weren't there to help him find peace but agony but it was too late the voices had already connected to people and the people saw he was there.

Groaning, Sam didn't want to face them, instead he wanted to hide from everyone and not return ever. Seeing the worried looks from Stephen and Joseph, he knew that there was no way they were going to let that happen, making him wonder if they knew what he'd done.

"Mandy?" he asked softly, hoping that maybe it was some sort of nightmare that he was finally coming out of. The answer though made his heart plummet.

"Don't worry kiddo, we all know you didn't mean it. Mandy's in the kitchen fixing something to eat, but she'll be here in a…"

"NO!" Sam shouted trying to get away from his brothers knowing that the last thing anyone needed was Mandy to see him face to face since he hurt her. She'd never forgive him and he didn't want to make things awkward for her or the brothers. "Oh my God… Taylor… he's going to kill me!" he said suddenly frozen half in and out of the bed, only being supported by Stephen's strong arms.

"Sammy, calm down. Taylor knows it wasn't your fault, just like we all know that. You need to tell us what happened though, what had you so scared?" Stephen asked, risking a quick glance to Joseph to gauge his reaction to their little brother's panic.

Looking between Stephen and Joseph, Sam couldn't find any deception in their faces and wondered how they could not be upset with him. Deciding not to push his luck he quickly nodded before he explained Paul's visit and what he had wanted. He told them about how he hadn't wanted them to rush home because he was being a baby, but at the same time felt so alone and scared that he wished they were there. It took less than fifteen minutes, but afterwards he felt somewhat better. At least now if they were going to be mad at him, then they would have all the information instead of speculation. He watched as they left the room quietly, but then could hear their conversation clearly making him wonder why they left in the first place.

"So, now Sammy has the attention of a cop now? And for what… Dean's accident? Man this is so screwed up!" Joseph said as he started to pace across the living room.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out. I'll call the Chief of Police if I have to in order to find out what's going on." Stephen said as he moved towards the phone. "You know, this doesn't make any sense. Why would this Paul go to all the trouble to have us with Sammy if he wasn't going to accuse him, but then again how could he pin Dean's accident on the kid?"

"Maybe he was trying not to scare him?" Mandy asked as she carried a plate full of sandwiches into the room. "If this guy knows Sammy even a little bit, then he'd know that he gets a little itchy around cops, right?"

Both Joseph and Stephen stopped and stared at Mandy with awe and suddenly understood why Taylor loved this girl so much; sometimes she could really put something into perspective.

"Ok, so how about we go talk to Paul to find out what's going on while Mandy and Sammy clear the air?" Joseph asked as he reached over to grab a set of keys. Before he managed to get to the door however Mandy stopped him.

"I don't think we'll get a chance to do that Joseph." Mandy said as she came out of Dean's bedroom. Seeing both men's questioning glances she sighed, "He's gone, he must have climbed out the window."

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Somehow he had to get away and sort this mess out, he couldn't have his brothers getting in the middle of another one of his messes and if that meant going to talk to Paul on his own, then that was what he was going to do. He knew he hadn't done anything to Taylor's car, and he'd never hurt Dean, but somehow the message was clear; someone thought he could do both, otherwise why would he be questioned about it?

He had gone out the window in hopes of buying some time because no matter what else happened he knew he need to see Dean and try to sort out the thoughts that were crowding his brain since the one thought that kept echoing inside his head was the mantra his father drilled into his head a long time ago. 'You're nothing, just a different kind of evil that doesn't deserve to live.' Yeah, he could still hear the words; feel the fists as they accentuated each word. He was evil, he didn't deserve to live, and he needed to tell his brother in person, it was the least he could do.


	22. Chapter 22

AN: I hope you all like this one, don't forget to let me know!

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The hospital was quiet which cast an eerie feel to it, but still allowed Taylor the sense of peace that he'd be able to tell if something was amiss. Then his phone rang… again, and tossed all of that out the window when he was informed that their little brother ran off to who knows where to do who knows what. One thing for certain though, the kid wasn't in his right mind.

Looking over at Dean he was surprised to see a pair of green eyes watching him carefully as if to judge whether or not he'd get the truth out of him. Standing there in the middle of the room, he allowed the scrutiny mainly because he knew that if he didn't then Dean wouldn't believe anything that was about to come out of his mouth.

"Where's Sammy?" Dean asked quietly, already suspecting that something had happened while he was taking his nap. Frustrated, he was determined to leave the hospital just as soon as he could put his own pants on, the shoes and shirt could wait, but he'd be damned if he was going to go traipsing around the area in a hospital gown with his ass hanging out. Although, now that he thought about it… wait, no this wasn't the time to think about giving the girls a show. Something was going on and he was determined to find out what it was.

Taylor really didn't want to have to tell Dean about everything that had been going on, but he now saw that he didn't haven't have a choice. Taking a deep breath, he jumped in with both feet starting with Dean's car accident and ending with Sammy taking off. He knew that Dean was worried, especially when he had gotten to the part about Mandy surprising Sammy and the kid retaliating, but he wasn't expecting the reaction that he witnessed; Dean Winchester was crying, as in actual tears streaming down his face with such a hopeless look on his face that even Taylor was ready to toss in the towel at the sight of it.

"Where did I go wrong Taylor? How could this have happened?" Dean asked while trying to pull himself together. "I have one damn job to do; keep Sammy safe, and I can't even do that right! Dammit! We have to find him. If he's that freaked, who knows what he'll do." He said as he swung his legs off the bed and willed the room to stay in one position for more than a second at a time. After a few minutes he was able to gather his remaining reserves and stand up. Feeling Taylor's steadying hand, he walked to the closet and grabbed his pants just as the door opened and a puzzled Celia walked in.

"Hey guys, good to see you up and around Dean. How's Sam? I saw him head this way looking upset, I thought I'd check on him. I take it he's in the bathroom?" she asked, then at their confused expressions couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, is he sick?"

"Celia, when did you see Sammy?" Taylor choked out, having a really bad feeling about what she was about to say. At her confirmation, he heard Dean curse and he had to agree with him, this wasn't good, especially if the kid only heard a part of their conversation. "Ok, Celia call down to security and see if he's actually left yet and if so how long and in which direction. I'll call Stephen and Joseph to let them know that he have a lead. Dean, you get dressed without falling down and I won't argue about you coming with us, but you even stumble and the deal's off."

Knowing that there was no arguing with the man, Celia took off to make her phone call all the while praying that they could find Sam quickly. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew that if these men were scared then so should she.

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Feeling as if he'd been hit hard in the gut, Sam took off back the way he came. It was now more evident that he had been fooling himself. He was truly alone now and didn't have any idea what to do about it. He had allowed himself to believe that he actually was a part of the family, but now he truly realized that he had just been pushing himself onto people. Not worrying about his destination, he continued to walk away from the hospital, away from his life, away from his brother; everyone would be better off anyway.

It was getting late and he suddenly became aware that he had no idea where he was going or what he was going to do, but the unrelenting feeling of exhaustion just wouldn't let him go. Seeing a cab, he flagged it down and gave the address of the only other place he knew he could stay without people looking at him like he was some sort of freak. It didn't take as long as he thought it would before the driver was stopping and letting him know that they had made it. Quickly digging out the fare, Sam stepped out of the cab and walked towards the house and let himself in not caring that he left the door unlocked and partially opened. He was tired, he needed to sleep, he needed everything to go back to the way they were before he finally understood just what type of thing he really was. Not bothering with the fire, he laid down and closed his eyes praying for release.

The only sound that could be heard throughout the house was the sound of the light rain hitting the windows. It normally would have been a calming sound, but right now it just reminded him once again of how alone he really was. Determined to make sure he didn't do anything else to hurt anyone, he thought about what he could do to make it up to everyone but nothing seemed to be right. He thought about how Mandy and Taylor would never forgive him, how Dean would always wonder where he went wrong, how Stephen and Joseph wouldn't be his friends anymore. As those thoughts ran through his head, he failed to notice the chills starting to snake through his body as his temperature started to climb. So caught up in what he was sure was truths, he failed to notice the flaws in his logic which would have clued him into his true state of mind. Locked into his misery, he failed to notice the door slowly swing open and a shadow creep into the house content in watching him until he fell into a fitful sleep.

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It was bad enough that they knew Sammy was missing, but to add to that it had started raining close to midnight and they had no idea where their little brother was or if he was alright. Now once again Mandy was able to toss things into a frightening perspective and none of them were pleased that they hadn't thought about it themselves; Sammy had forgotten his backpack. No backpack, no meds, and none of them could piece together the last time they had seen him take any.

Fear seemed to be the main course for the rest of the night for the Musketeers as they were sure they had checked over every place and friend that they knew their little brother had been to within the past few months. The first place they had gone had of course been the new rent house that was to be occupied in a couple of day, but not seeing any sign of Sammy, had quickly crossed it off their list. They had even banged on Paul's door since they knew the man had been to their apartment, they had decided to return the favor, however when there was no answer, they all were frustrated as well as a little freaked that the possibilities were endless as to what had happened.

Now they all were in their living room trying to regroup and reevaluate their list. The Colonel had been called in hopes that maybe Sammy had called him, but to no avail. Paul's Supervisor's were called in the attempt to find out exactly what the other man had wanted with their little brother as well as to find out his location, but was told that the Detective was out on a case and wouldn't be back in until morning briefing, leaving the Musketeers' blood running cold. They knew that their leads were drying up fast and with no sign in sight it would just be a matter of time before the trail was cold and the thought of them never finding Sammy was something that they all fought to keep at bay.

After a long night of phone calls and neighborhood searches, they all were in the kitchen trying to piece together another possible search grid when the doorbell rang giving each of them a moment of hope until they saw who it was and Dean lost all sense of composure.

Grabbing the man by the jacket, Dean pulled him into the apartment and started his litany of questions. "Where the hell is Sammy? What did you do to him? Do you have any idea what I'm going to do to you if you've done anything to hurt him?"

Paul stood as still as he could as Dean continued to slam him against the wall. He had no idea what Dean was talking about or why everyone else was looking at him with disgust, but he knew what he was there for and he was going to get it one way or another. "Look, if you're done trying to bash my skull in, maybe we can sit down and try to figure this out." He said while trying to rein in his own temper.

"What are you doing here, we know you're not here to fill out a missing persons report… it hasn't been forty eight hours yet." Taylor said suspiciously as he stepped closer to Dean to show that the guy wasn't dealing with just one pissed off Musketeer.

Nodding, Paul knew this was going to be hard, but from what he'd already witnessed, the brothers were extremely close and the only way to gain their trust was to be brutally honest with them. "Normally that's true, but I talked to my CO and explained the situation. After pulling Sam's file, he agreed that we need to find him now."

"Why the change in policy?" Stephen asked, then answered his own question with despair, "You want to claim him unstable, don't you?"

Knowing that he was about to get into deeper water, but not knowing how to get himself out of it, he agreed. "It's only so we can expedite the search, that's all. Look, I know him well enough to know that he wouldn't have just taken off from you guys unless something happened. Honestly though, my boss was actually looking at one of you for this… you know, the whole 'it has to be hard dealing with someone with as many problems as he has.' I went to bat for all of you because I saw how you are with him, he's your little brother who's gone through horrendous times and now you're all doing the best you can to pull him out of it. The only way I could get moving on this so quickly and not start bringing you guys in for questioning was to agree that Sammy's unstable. Once we find him, then we can figure everything out to make sure it doesn't come back to bite him in the ass. Right now though, we need to work together and…"

"Work together? You're kidding right? Do you have any idea what you've really done? Your visit scared Sammy so bad that when someone walked into the apartment he attacked! You want to help him… stay out of our way, got it?" Dean growled, and shoved Paul towards the door. He would have pushed him again if it wasn't for the words that froze their blood.

"We suspect there's a pedophile in the area, and I'm worried that he might already have his sights on your brother."

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Sam's dream were confusing at best and terrifying at worst. He couldn't understand why he was hot one minute, then cold again, and how can someone feel rain on their head in a dream? He was truly too tired to tell what was really going on, and the sudden warmth didn't seem to help his confusion any. It wasn't until he thought he heard someone whispering soothing words that he thought that maybe his brothers had found him and that everything from before was just a nightmare and that right now was real. If so, then he could sleep, he knew his brothers wouldn't let anything happen to him. Content in that knowledge, he ignored the niggling of doubt creeping around in the back of his mind and let himself relax enough to sleep.

Smiling, the shadow watched as the boy slept on. It had been risky making his move so soon, but the opportunity was right there and there was no way he was going to let it pass. He knew the rules, the laws, and knew that the police would wait the standard forty eight hours to look for him, possibly even treat him as a runaway. Yes, that would be even better, since as a runaway, the officers would still look around, but would keep it closer to family and friends even frequently visited places leaving other 'persons of interest' alone. Sighing, he knew that the boy before him was damaged, which made him more perfect. He would show the boy how good it could be with two people; that not everyone would throw him out like garbage. Yes, the boy was damaged, but he could also tell that the boy was pure in his heart, not like the others. No, the others were awful cretins who didn't deserve the chance he had offered them. That would change now though as he made sure the boy would be cared for.

Leaning over the prone figure he started to stroke back the dark hair and murmur comforting words happy to see the boy relax and fall once again into blissful sleep. He would wait until his prize woke on his own, then he's begin the training needed. Looking around the room he saw all the things he needed at his disposal. Yes, tomorrow would be soon enough to begin.


	23. Chapter 23

"What did you just say?" Dean asked, trying hard to wrap his head around what he thought he just heard. "You think there's a child predator out there and you guys were just planning on leaving Sammy out there by himself?"

Holding up his hands, Paul shook his head and looked at each of the men. "You have to understand, this guy is slick, most of the time when he's in an area no one knows about it until he's left a lot of damage in his wake. He's been here before and I guess we have some unfinished business that's why he's back. If I'd known sooner, I would have warned you and made sure Sammy was safe."

"How do you know?" Stephen asked, trying to keep the chilled feeling from progressing through his body, somehow he had a feeling he knew and it didn't comfort him at all.

"I told you about my brother Andrew stumbling into one of my cases, this was it. The maniac snagged him right under everyone's noses during an investigation and we didn't get him back before… well, it wasn't pretty and I've never forgiven myself for not protecting my little brother. Now you're telling me that Sammy's missing and…"

"First of all… it's SAM! Second… we haven't even reported him missing yet, how the hell do you know about it?" Dean asked with a deadly calm.

Paul looked around and sighed, "Come on, we might be known for eating donuts, but we can put two and two together. You guys searched the rent house, pounded on my door, called my Supervisors and you wonder how I know?" Paul asked, but seeing the questions still lingering within their eyes he admitted. "The neighbors told me you all were asking them questions, it made sense that he was missing and I've been looking ever since. There's no way I want him in the hands of that creep, but the odds of him being the next target are huge; mainly because of his association with me – unfinished business, remember?"

As the Musketeers mulled over what Paul said, they couldn't help but feel helpless in their knowledge that they had no idea if their little brother was truly fine somewhere or in the clutches of some deviant who would only harm him further. The way the kid's luck had been going, they were pretty certain which way Lady Luck was leaning and it terrified each and every one of them.

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The shadow had a name, but he despised it. It was the calling card that attracted unwanted attention and made him feel shame in ways he'd never felt before; and that was unacceptable. He had been taught that to be a man, you had to make sure you were confident in what you were doing and to make sure no one stood in the way of the path you were taking. It was a lesson he took to heart and to this day refused to seek out those who supposedly would make his need subside, those were the people who tried to control him and it was something he would never allow to happen; he was his own man, even if he wasn't allowed to share his own name for fear of persecution.

Elliot Miles wasn't known to be anyone special, actually quite the opposite, and although that had angered him years before he had now come to realize the benefits of being invisible. Now though he would give up that autonomy for just another glimpse at the boy's eyes, to see the dimples upon his face, but it wasn't meant to be at the moment. The boy was ill and needed to be taken care of properly.

It had been hours since Elliot had carried the boy out the back door, not caring that the doors were open or that it was raining. All he cared about was taking his precious burden to his new home and take care of it as if it were some rare piece of fine art. Smiling, he continued to bath the boy's face in cool water and enjoyed the contact of flesh on flesh as his hand would occasional brush against the flush face. He'd give the boy another day, and if he didn't wake on his own, he'd find a way to bring him around; one way or another.

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The sound of Paul's cell phone cut through the quiet apartment, causing all of its occupants to startle slightly. Irritated at his own jumpiness, Paul practically growled into the mouth piece and was startled by the person on the other end.

"Slow down Mr. Schneider, yes I know it rained last night… no, I know that he always locks the door… no Mr. Schneider you aren't disturbing… yes, I understand but… are you sure… all right, we'll be right there." As he cut the call he looked anxiously towards the others. "That was a neighbor; he says that the front door to Sam's rent house is standing wide open. I want to get there before anyone else does."

Not waiting for an invitation, the Musketeers followed the detective towards the house not bothering with the posted speed limits. It wasn't long before they all were pulling in front of the house and rushing towards the scene. Before anyone could say anything, Paul stopped them.

"Ok, right now this isn't a crime scene, but if I see any signs of foul play, then you all will have to wait outside, got it?"

The urge to argue was prominent until they all saw the look Paul gave, and they understood that it was more of a request than a demand. Each of them nodded in understanding and followed him inside their little brother's rent house, hoping that they'd find him sleeping, unaware of the commotion that he was causing with his absence. As they entered the living room they suddenly understood how much their wishes and real life conflicted.

The living room was cold with a damp spot still present in the middle of floor, obviously where Sammy had probably been at least for a little while. The relief they first felt to know that he'd been there quickly dissipated when they realized that the carpeting had been walked on by more than one person recently and it only took another moment to fully understand the implications.

"He's been here hasn't he?" Joseph choked out in the effort to try and understand what had happened.

The fear that had been building within Paul increased dramatically as he looked around and nodded. Hearing something towards the back of the house, he took off to see if he could find the source of the noise. Getting to the open back door he noticed the footprints in the mud and smiled, maybe this time he wouldn't be too late.

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The basement room was cold but it didn't drive away the heat Sam felt as he opened his eyes to look around. He couldn't remember feeling this horrible and knowing that he'd be alright, which meant he must really be ill, especially if he couldn't remember where he was. The last thing that he remembered was hearing Dean's voice asking where he went wrong, then the cool night air as he walked away trying to do the right thing for once. Now though he had no idea where he was and he wasn't even that certain that he really cared.

The sound of the door opening made Sam turn his head slightly. The sight of a middle aged man walking into the room didn't register until the man spoke, and then it took awhile to comprehend the words.

"Oh good, you're awake, I was hoping you would be. Are you ready for some soup; I think that will help, don't you?" Elliot said calmly as he watched his young charge for a moment. When the boy didn't answer right away, he looked closer and saw that he had slipped away into unconsciousness again.

Sighing, he turned to go back upstairs but found himself drawn to the boy once again. Placing the soup on the small table he reached over to brush the stray hair from the pale face and continued to watch for a moment as the eyelids flickered but did not open. Although he knew it would be a matter of time, he still felt restless. The temptation to bring the boy to full awareness was strong, but he tamped it down with the knowledge of the fun they would have when the boy was better.

Standing once again, Elliot picked up the bowl of soup and made his way to the door careful not to disturb the boy. He could wait a couple more hours; he wasn't a psychopath after all.

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As they watched the man before them talk on his cell phone, they all glanced at each other and silently agreed; Paul might actually know what he's doing. They had followed the erratic footprints for over a block and noticed that whoever it was seemed to know how to stick to the shadows to avoid detection. Finally though the trail had actually curved back around until they led to the basement steps of a house two doors down and on the back side of Paul's house; the corner of the property and Sammy's property connected.

Now knowing how the creep had been able to keep tabs on both Paul and Sammy didn't make any of them feel any better, but did give them more information to work with. After Paul assured them that back up was on the way, they got closer to the house that they were certain housed a certain little brother and none of the men were going to risk him even if it meant going against police protocol. Prepared to take down the detective if need be, they all were unprepared for what was said next.

"Ok, there's no way I'm going to risk Sam being in there any longer than necessary, so how about we go get him and leave the clean up for the men in blue?" Paul asked, knowing that there was no way these men were going to stay outside.

Together they entered the house to make sure there were no other threats before they proceeded towards the basement. When they reached the bottom of the steps they immediately saw a door and instinctively knew that Sammy had to be there.

Motioning for the others to get ready, Paul quickly opened the door and as they all entered the room, the sight before them made each of them see red. As they watched, a man oblivious to their arrival was running one hand along Sammy's chest while the other was threading its fingers through his hair; all the while the object of said affection was completely unaware of what was going on around him.

Not hesitating any further, Dean tackled the man as he raised his mouth from Sammy's, sending them both to the floor. The element of surprise was enough for Dean to keep the man down while he proceeded to beat him mercilessly. It wasn't until Stephen pulled him off the guy that Dean understood what true loss of control was about, but as he looked at the pathetic lump he couldn't care; the bastard was hurting his Sammy, and no one did that and lived if he had anything to say about it.

"Dean, man you have to listen! We need to get Sammy to the hospital, now!" Joseph was yelling, trying once again to get Dean's attention.

Looking around, Dean realized that it wasn't just Stephen but Taylor also holding onto him and pulling him off the person responsible for his little brother being missing. Turning his attention back to Sammy he took in his brother's appearance and realized that Sammy hadn't moved during the whole exchange. Rushing towards the small bed, he laid his hand onto the fevered forehead and cursed.

"You guys go on; I'll take care of everything here." Paul said as continued to cover Elliot with his gun.

With Sammy in Dean's arms and Stephen leading the way, Taylor and Joseph rushed to the sides to make sure no one else disturbed them. They hadn't made it to the back fence when the sound of a lone shot was heard and the unanimous consensus was heard; "Bastard tried to escape."

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Celia wasn't sure how to deal with this latest development. After everything that these guys had been through, she wasn't sure how much more they could take. It hadn't taken long for tests to be run and conclusions to be made; now she had to go into the room and explain her findings which shouldn't be so hard, but something made her hesitate.

As she looked inside she saw all four of the Musketeers sitting vigil next to the youngest of them and it made her heart break at what she was going to have to tell them. Normally she wouldn't worry so much, normally it was just a tiny setback, but she knew that things weren't normal with Sam's life at the moment and that's what scared her, that he wouldn't be able to bounce back.

"Celia, sweetheart, how's Sammy?" Stephen asked suddenly causing the others to turn their attention to her as well.

Stepping in the room she quietly closed the door and walked to the still unconscious teen in the bed. She sent up a prayer of thanks that they had gotten to him in time, that he hadn't been that creep's play toy in every sense of the word, she was thankful that Sam didn't have pneumonia again, and with that she turned to the men and tried to smile.

"What started out as a simple cold seems to be growing into a full blown upper respiratory infection, it's not pneumonia and I believe that we can keep it from going that far." As they watched her, they knew something wasn't right and they all feared what she would say next. "We took the opportunity to do a cursory exam and we didn't find any signs of trauma, it looks like you found him just in time."

"That's great Celia, but why the long face?" Dean asked while the others let out the breaths they had been holding since she started talking. He could tell that something else was bothering her, and he didn't like it. Grasping Sammy's hand tighter, he continued to watch Celia as she seemed to pull herself together to deliver the last bit of news.

"Sammy's viral load has elevated… considerably. I'm afraid the cocktail we had him on isn't doing the job we thought. Normally I'd say that we'd switch him to something else, but I'm really concerned about his overall health. Guys, I'm not sure what's really been going on, but I do know one thing… when I saw him yesterday he looked wrecked. In fact I haven't seen him look like that since he first came to us, so whatever's going on you all need to pull your heads out and make sure to give him the love and support he needs – got it?" she said fiercely. The more she talked to these thick headed guys, the more she was convinced that somehow they were responsible for Sam's head to get as messed up as it obviously had gotten. Not bothering to wait for their reply, she marched through the door disappeared from their sight leaving them all stunned.

"Well, you know she's right. Somehow we haven't made the time to deal with how this first started, it's no wonder he's a little confused." Taylor said quietly, trying to beat down the fear that kept threatening to rise up at the thought that their little brother's health could have so drastically changed in such a short period of time.

Dean understood what wasn't being said, Sammy had been under too much stress in too short of time. Between the freaky vision thing popping up, then thinking his big brother believed horrendous things about him, then the knowledge of the car wreck and the misunderstanding just the day before, it really made him wonder if he was the best person for the job as Sammy's guardian. As he watched his little brother's face, he knew that there was no other position he'd rather have; if he didn't have Sammy, he didn't have anything.

Stephen watched the myriad of emotions play out on Dean's face and was pretty sure what the other man was thinking. It hurt to know that they all invariably played some part in how their little brother was once again in the hospital, but now he could only wonder about how they were going to be able to make it right.

The hours crept by but no one ventured far from the bed, each one waiting patiently for Sammy to wake up. The dinner trays had been served and picked back up and more vital signs and lab work was drawn but still not even a twitch from the occupant in the bed. The nurse had just left after attaching another bag of IV antibiotics and everyone was feeling tense. Mandy had brought them all dinner and had even stayed awhile before remembering that she had once again left the stove on and rushed out of the room leaving the four men shaking their heads in amazement. So caught up in what had just happened, the missed the slight movement until it happened again a few moments later.

"Sammy?" the asked, each one of them crowding the bed to watch and see if this was the moment they had been waiting for. "Hey Sammy, you in there kiddo?" Dean asked, hoping to hurry his little brother along. It only took a couple more tries before they were rewarded with a pair of dark eyes looking at them blurrily, giving them all cause to celebrate.

They watched as Sammy looked around confused before demanding his attention once again. "Hey kiddo, you had us worried."

"Sorry." Sam whispered, still not understanding what had happened or why they were looking at him like he was going to disappear. Feeling tired, he allowed his eyes to drift closed taking him back to blissful oblivion but not before he heard his brothers' assurances, granting him the peace he needed.

"We're here Sammy, and nobody's going to hurt you on our watch."

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AN: For any of you wondering why I didn't drag out Sammy's captivity... come on... even _I'm_ not _that_ sadistic, right? ;) Hope you enjoyed this chapter... see you soon!


	24. Chapter 24

It had been two days of silent hell while everyone waited for Sam to wake up again. Celia had assured those who asked that it was normal since he needed the extra rest to fight off the infection and allow his body's immune system to attempt to rebuild itself; healing was an exhausting event. Finally though on the morning of the third day, Sam woke and was more confused about what had been going on that what his brothers thought would be normal. He had no recollection of going to the rent house much less being abducted and thankfully rescued, which left the Musketeers in a quandary of whether to fill in the blanks for their little brother or not. Between the discussions about what to tell the youngest member of the family, and trying to figure out how to straighten out all the misunderstanding's that had been building up, everyone had forgotten one important thing; watch after Sammy.

Sam hated feeling like something inside a Petri dish, but he hated feeling like he was a burden even more. It hadn't taken him long to realize that something had happened and he wasn't allowed in the loop even though it obviously had to do with him in the first place. Sighing, he took full advantage of the lack of babysitters and decided to take a walk in hopes of pulling the random thoughts floating in his head into some sort of order. He had successfully made it down two hallways before a booming voice startled him to an instant stop.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Turning around Sam smiled slightly. "Hello Sir, I just needed a change in scenery so I thought I'd try taking a walk."

Colonel Erickson did not look pleased with this latest development but could see how the constant observations would get tiring quickly. Nodding, he motioned to a couch at the end of the hall and helped Sam get settled before looking at the young man closely again. "Sam, how are you… really?" he asked, hoping that maybe he could get more information than the others.

"I'm not sure how to answer that, honestly." Sam said hesitantly. He knew that if he had a chance to figure it all out then he'd have the answers, but at the moment everything was still mixed up in his brain and he couldn't seem to figure anything out. "It's all kind of confusing right now."

Seeing the young man before him, Terrance wished he knew what to do or say to make things better for him, but nothing came to mind right at the moment. Nodding, he had to agree with Sam though, things were definitely confusing. It was too long ago that he was certain that Sam and Jenna would enter into a much more serious relationship, but now they weren't seeing each other at all and his little girl was fighting for her life because of a damn disease that he had never dreamed they would have had to worry about. Looking at the young man beside him he suddenly knew how to handle at least one aspect of his life.

"Sam, I know that you have a lot on your mind, and sometimes you need some space to deal with it, but you need to understand that you're not alone anymore. You have people who care about you and want to make sure that you are alright in more ways than just your physical well being. The Musketeers have been worried sick ever since that fiasco at the track." Seeing the questioning gaze he smiled. "Don't worry so much Sam, you know as well as I do that Dean would have reacted the same way if that kid had said that your mother wore combat boots, it's just the way he is; family is worth defending no matter what."

Sam shook his head though before whispering, "What if he really believes it though?"

Placing his hand on the slim shoulder, Terrance knew that this was one subject he would need to be careful. "Do you really believe that Dean would react that way because he believed what was said, or do you believe enough in your brother to understand that he loves you enough to want to clear the world of anyone who might want to hurt you in any way?"

Looking at the Colonel, Sam wasn't sure how to answer that. He knew what he'd like the answer to be, but he couldn't seem to get past the cold fury that had been on his brother's face when he hit the other guy. Suddenly another thought hit him. "Is Jenna ok?"

Terrance smiled and wondered about the situation they all seemed to be in. "She decided to go with the more conventional method. She found out that if the chemo doesn't work then they can try that other experimental treatment, but they wouldn't be able to do anything else if they tried it first." He watched as Sam pondered that for a moment before he asked the question that had been bouncing around in his brain. "You still love her, don't you?"

Startled, Sam looked at the Colonel in shock before nodding. "Yes sir, I do, but I don't trust her… not like I did." With that said he slowly got up off the couch and started to walk away. "Excuse me sir, but I really need to get back, I don't want my brothers worrying about me anymore."

As he watched Sam slowly make his way back the way they came, Terrance smiled and shook his head. "Sorry Sammy, I don't think that's every going to happen."

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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE?" Dean exclaimed as he towered over the nurse who was trying to explain that she'd been called to an emergency for another patient and hadn't been able to keep an eye on Sam's door.

"I'm so sorry, I…"

Stephen was more than little upset himself, but knew that getting the hospital staff all worked up wasn't going to help anybody. Placing a hand on Dean's shoulder, he tried to convey a calm he really didn't feel himself. "Dean, you need to calm down. I'm sure that Sammy didn't get far. Let's take a walk around the area and see if we can find him."

Dean knew that the nurse in front of him had done everything she could, but he couldn't help but feel angry towards her for not knowing just how special Sammy really was. Nodding, he was about to move towards the door when Celia rushed in looking flushed and excited.

"Great news guys…wait, where's Sam?" she asked, suddenly concerned as she saw the near panic on Dean and Stephen's faces. Turning to the nurse on duty she saw the tears building and couldn't help but feel herself start to panic.

"I'm so sorry Dr. Grey, I had to go see to another patient and I wasn't at the desk. They came in and…"

Confused, Celia looked for answers in the only place she could find them. "Well, what happened? Where's Sam, and why is one of my nurses apologizing for only God knows what?"

"Celia, Sammy's gone. We went to get some coffee to hash out a few things and when we got back our little brother is gone and no one can tell us what happened." Stephen said while trying to subtly keep Dean in place. He had no idea how much longer he'd be able to hold the other man back, but he was determined to make sure no one left until they explained what had happened, then they'd go and find their missing Sammy.

As Celia reached towards the phone to call security, they heard light footstep walking towards the room. It didn't take long until Sam appeared in the doorway shocked to see so many people in his room.

"Sammy! Are you alright, where'd you go, sit down kiddo." Dean said as he and Stephen ushered their brother into the room and back towards the bed.

"Sorry, I just needed to go for a walk. I didn't think I was gone that long." Sam said hesitantly. Looking around he saw just how upset he'd made everyone and suddenly he wished he could disappear. "I really am sorry."

Letting out a long breath, Dean knew that the dejected look on his little brother's face was because of what had happened earlier between them. Taking Sammy's face in his hands he made Sammy look at him. "We were worried, not mad Sammy, ok? I'm sorry that we scared you, but you have to admit that lately you haven't exactly had the best luck when you're on your own."

Sam smirked before looking between Dean and Stephen. "Sorry, I just needed to think about some things."

"Yeah well, we need to talk about a few things." Dean said as he looked at Celia and the nurse hoping they both would take the hint. Seeing that both women knew they needed privacy, he waited only until the door closed again before beginning. "Sammy, that day during your track meet, I lost my temper but not at you. I couldn't believe that anyone would think, much less say, those things about you. I don't think that you're anything but my little brother who I would do anything for, I love you little brother. I always have, I always will. You've got enough going on without you thinking that you're unwanted, and we're going to be right here beside you through it all, got it?"

Although there wasn't an immediate response, both Dean and Stephen knew that progress was made and that made them feel a lot better about the situation until the younger boy finally spoke.

"How can you say that Dean after what happened with Mandy? I'm just as bad as Dad said… I hit her Dean." Sam said brokenly, trying hard not to let his emotions get the better of him but feeling too tired to successfully hide them.

"Hey kiddo, listen to me. Mandy told us what happened, we also talked to Paul and he told us what happened. You didn't do anything wrong, you thought you were defending yourself. She doesn't blame you. In fact she was more upset that she scared you by not speaking up when walking into the apartment." Stephen said quietly as he approached the other side of the bed. "We all know you're a good kid Sammy, the trouble is you don't believe it just yet."

Sam looked up and wondered why they were being so nice. He had hit Taylor's girlfriend. If someone hit Jenna he'd tear them apart and…

"I told Jenna I didn't trust her." Sam said quietly, shocking the other two men slightly. They both knew he had been hurt by what she had said, and had wondered how they'd interact at school, but for him to actually say something to her like that showed just how hurt he actually was. "I love her, but I don't trust her and it hurts. I know it sounds stupid, but it hurts more than you thinking I'm gay, or even the thought that I'm some sort of monster, and now she's dying and I don't know what to do."

Dean climbed into the bed with Sammy and held him close while Stephen called Taylor and Joseph at the apartment. They had known their little brother was hurting, but this was a little more than what they were expecting and they all hoped they could keep their promise and help him through it.

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The dinner trays had been gathered and more rounds were performed before Celia had a chance to get back to check on Sam. She was right outside the door when she stopped to listen to the voices inside and she was able to distinguish all four of the Musketeer's making the absence of Sam's voice all that more noticeable. Knowing that being a normal teenager was hard enough, she couldn't imagine having to deal with the issues that this particular young man had already endured, and was still affected by today.

It had been a tough afternoon, but she was hoping that after sharing her news with the men inside that the rest of the day would go a lot smoothly. Smiling, she looked down at Sam's chart again and reread the note attached inside knowing that with this new information she would most likely become a hero in a certain person's eyes.

Pushing the door open she smiled brightly as she looked at everyone. "I have some great news Sam. How would you like to go home tonight?" she asked as she watched him look at her questioningly. "No, I'm not kidding. Not only did your latest workup show remarkable improvement, but I got a note here apologizing for a clerical error. Apparently the lab had to rerun a certain test due to a technician's faulty testing procedure making it look as if your viral loads had increased more than they had." Seeing the hope in the other men's eyes she held up her hand. "I'm not saying they're not elevated, it's just not enough for me to be so concerned that I'd switch his normal meds."

Stephen rushed over and swung Celia around in a circle while the other men cheered him along. After everyone calmed down enough they looked at Sam who had been watching them closely.

"Hey Sammy, that's great news!" Taylor said as he ruffled a hand through Sammy's hair.

Seeing his little brother this quiet always made Dean nervous, but it wasn't until his Sammy actually spoke that they all realized just how hard he had taken the previous news.

"So, the cocktail I'm on is still working? I don't have to go to something stronger?" he asked while the unspoken _I'm not dying quicker than what we thought_ hung heavy in the air.

"Yes Sam, they're working like they're supposed to. You still need to lower your stress level otherwise you can get sick again, but all in all, I'd say you're doing pretty good." Celia told him with as much confidence as she could. There was no way she was going to allow him to doubt this.

"So, I can go home?" Sam asked then turned to the others. "Can I come home?"

All four men rushed to assure the youngest brother, "Hell yeah you're coming home!"

Before the paperwork was signed, Taylor had already called Mandy and had her pick up some food from the pizza place that Sammy liked while Dean called the Colonel to let him know what was going on. Stephen took a moment with Celia to make sure that nothing else was going on with his little brother and make a lunch date with her the next day. Joseph sat next to Sammy and wrapped his arm around the kid while they waited for everyone to get ready. It wouldn't take too long before their family was back home, kicking back and enjoying their time together.

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Vic was already tired, but knew he couldn't blow Jenna's call off. It hadn't taken to long to drive to her house, but once he got there it seemed to take forever to motivate himself to go inside. He knew what it was about, but he had no idea what to do about it, or even how to deal with it.

Leaning his head back against his headrest he thought about the last couple of weeks and how things had changed. Jenna had pulled a complete Diva trip ripping Sam's heart out of his chest in the process. The confrontation in the lunchroom with the admission that Sam couldn't trust her anymore had given the gossipmonger's of the school more fodder to devour, as if they didn't have enough already. Now his friend's illness on top of his already precarious health just seemed too much to deal with. So why was it that he was hurrying to his friend Jenna's side when she called upset about who knows what when he had the distinct feeling that he was needed elsewhere.

Sighing, he got out of his car and headed towards the front door hating himself for the thoughts that had been passing through his brain. It wasn't really his business if his two best friends were torn apart because of a knee jerk reaction on Jenna's part. Admittedly he loved them both, but the drama had gotten too much for even him to take.

It didn't take long for the housekeeper to let him in mentioning that Jenna was in her room. Looking at the clock he wondered if she was tired or just listening to her radio. It wasn't until he opened her door that he suddenly understood what was wrong and his heart broke. There in front of the vanity sat Jenna crying as she brushed her hair and watched as the clumps clung to the brush.


	25. Chapter 25

AN: I hope everyone likes this, sorry that it's so short.

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Katie met Mandy at the pizzeria and helped gather everything that was going to be needed for an impromptu welcome back party for Sam. Both women knew that their boyfriends would be too preoccupied with their little brother, but neither of them minded, knowing that the deep commitment they shared towards Sam was just another way they showed how much they could really give.

With the backseat of Katie's car filled with food and drinks, they quickly made their way towards the apartment knowing that no matter how fast they drove, the guys had already beat them there and were even now babying Sam to death. No sooner had they made it up the stairs than they were met at the door by a grinning Joseph.

"There you are, Taylor and Dean were about to send out a search party!" Joseph said as he helped with the bags of food and ushered them inside.

As soon as they walked into the apartment they knew that they were going to have their hands full keeping everyone happy. Sam was lying on the couch looking very unhappy with both Dean and Stephen watching over him to make sure he didn't get up. Taylor was on the phone with what sounded like Celia and he didn't seem to like what he was hearing.

"I don't think you understand, he looked like he was about to pass out on the way home!" he said tersely, obviously trying hard to keep his patience but failing miserably. "I understand that, but he was walking around fine earlier and… well, no… what do you mean let him up, he could fall over!... Fine, but if something happens we're bring him right back in." After hanging up the phone, he looked at the others and sighed. "She says to let him up for awhile, that walking around will actually help him feel better."

"See, I told you it was nothing." Sam said quietly as he eased himself into a sitting position on the couch. "You guys worry too much."

"Yeah… wrong! Sorry little brother, but where you're concerned I don't think we worry enough. Now just because you got Celia to agree with you this time doesn't mean you get to overdo it, got it?" Dean demanded, clearly irritated by the obvious defection of their very own friendly doctor. "If you so much as look ill, we're taking you right back until there's no doubt you're better."

Sam rolled his eyes and looked pleadingly toward both Katie and Mandy. "Isn't there anything you can do?"

Smiling, Mandy walked over to Taylor and wrapped her arms around him while Katie gave Dean a kiss. By the time both men were coherent enough of their surroundings again, Sam was already in the kitchen working on his second piece of pizza and a small salad. Before the guys had a chance to join their little brother, Mandy asked for a moment alone with him. Not knowing how else to handle the current situation, they all nodded and stayed in the living room, hoping they were making the right decision.

Mandy walked into the kitchen and sat quietly next to Sam, watching as he suddenly stopped eating and instead concentrated on what she was doing. It hurt her to see how nervous he was around her now, but she also knew that there wasn't a mean bone in body. "Sam, I wanted to apologize for what happened." She said softly. Seeing that he almost choked, she took a deep breath and continued while patting him on the back. "You didn't know it was me barging into the room, and I should have said something. I really am sorry for scaring you like that."

Not sure what to think, Sam sat and stared at Mandy as if trying to see if there was anything else, when the conversation seemed to be at an end, he shook his head. "I hit you Mandy, how can you say it's your fault? I'm as bad as…"

"No Sam! You are not a bad person, you are anything but. I promise you that I'm a great judge of character, and I know that you would never hurt anyone who wasn't hurting you or someone you love first. You just need to see that yourself." Mandy said while grasping his hand. It took a moment, but Sam returned the hold and they stayed that way for a moment until they were finally invaded by some very hungry Marines.

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Vic sat in his car and stared out over the ocean thinking about his visit with Jenna. Never before could he remember being this sad about a friend, and that was saying something considering how many people he'd seen slip away in his life from one thing or another.

"_Jenna?" Vic asked as he watched her cry in the reflection of her mirror._

_Startled, Jenna quickly turned around and tried to smooth out her hair, unknowingly loosening more strands in the process. It finally took Vic crossing the room and stilling her hands before she stopped her frantic movements._

"_Oh my God, Vic… please don't look!" Jenna cried out as she hid her face in his shoulder._

_Not knowing what else to do, he stood there and let her cry until she became tired and went to bed early. He had waited until she fell asleep before he left quietly, avoiding the Colonel's study on his way out._

Now he couldn't seem to get the image of his confident, larger than life Jenna reduced to tears by the loss of something that didn't truly define her, but showed the world how fragile she truly was. Taking a deep breath, he started his car and turned his car around. He needed help, and he knew the one person he could count on; he just hoped this wasn't too much, too soon.

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Dean was happy to see his Sammy finally relax, and if he had anything to say about it the kid would stay that way for the rest of his very long and hopefully boring existence. As they all sat on or around the couch watching a movie, it became obvious very quickly that everyone's attention was more on the youngest member of the family who was once again curled up in the middle of the floor watching a movie completely oblivious of the commotion he was causing. They all knew that they would have to go back to work tomorrow, and that Sammy would have to go back to school for the last day to take the finals as well as participate in the year end assembly, but for now they were just content in enjoying the quiet evening at home.

The sound of knocking broke everyone out of their peaceful reflection and made more than one person grumble about being disturbed on their first night back home with Sammy. When Stephen answered the door however, they suddenly realized that something had happened as they all sat and watched Vic hesitantly make his way inside.

"Uh, hi… sorry about this, but I was hoping to talk to Sam." Vic said as he looked towards his friend lying on the floor in hopes of conveying the importance of his visit.

Nodding, Sam stood and led the way to his room, hoping that the others would respect his privacy long enough to find out why Vic looked like he was about to climb the walls. As he closed his door though he knew that it was probably going to take both Mandy and Katie to keep them away.

"I don't like this!" Dean growled out as he got up from the couch to make his way to Sammy's room. Before he had a chance to take a step, Katie grabbed his arm with a smile.

"Dean, Vic is a friend and it's obvious that this is something serious." Katie said quietly, conveying how much she hoped that he would respect his little brother's wishes.

Everyone stood and waited to see what would happen next, whether or not they needed to intervene with whatever was going on on the other side of the door. A couple of minutes later, the door opened and Vic walked out by himself looking as if he had just kicked his best friend's puppy. Not sure what to do or say, the Musketeers watched quietly as the younger man made his way out the door without saying a word.

Concerned, Stephen and Taylor met both Joseph and Dean at the door of Sammy's room and didn't hesitate to go inside. As they stood there they saw their little brother standing at the far window staring out into the night as if the weight of the world on his shoulders alone. As they started towards him once again his voice broke through the silence making them all pause.

"I just need some time alone please." Sam stated simply, giving everything that he was feeling away with those words.

Not wanting to disrespect his wishes, but not wanting to allow him to suffer through whatever it was alone, the Musketeers made themselves at home on Sammy's bedroom floor and simply watched as he continued to stare out into the night.


	26. Chapter 26

AN: Hope you all like it... don't forget to let me know. I'll probably do a sequel at some point if there's a desire for it.

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The morning didn't go as planned for the Musketeers at it was still sitting badly for them after arriving at the base for the morning briefing and saw just how horrible the Colonel looked. Although they hadn't gotten anything out of Sammy the previous night or even this morning, the pieces were falling in place and now they knew something was going on with Jenna. Looking at each other, they knew that no matter what had happened between their little brother and the girl they cared for, Sammy still loved her and was hurting.

As the Colonel stood and finished his briefing, he could only feel thankful that there wasn't some crisis somewhere that needed his full attention, because quite honestly at the moment he couldn't give it. Last night had been a devastating blow for his little girl and he knew that today would be one of the hardest days of her life; facing her classmates without her hair. He had peeked in to check on her before going to bed himself when she called out to him and showed him how the chemo was already starting to wreck havoc on her body. It had been a harsh blow but one he was determined to help her stand strong for. It didn't take much convincing for her to realize that it was better to take the doctor's advice; cut it off yourself so you can at least have control over one aspect of your condition. That's how he spent the midnight hours, cutting his baby's hair then shaving it until there was no sign that it ever existed before holding her and letting her feel the loss of something that seemed to be a symbol of her fighting spirit. Now he could only hope that her day was swift so she wouldn't have to face those pompous arrogant asses at school for another three months.

Dean knew a storm was brewing with the Colonel, but had no idea what to do about it. He and the others could tell that whatever it was that happened the night before had taken a toll not only on the man before them, but their little brother too. He was about to say something when the older man motioned for them to follow him to his office. Once they all were inside and the door was closed the Colonel filled them in with six words making the situation crash hard around them.

"Jenna lost her hair last night."

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Jenna sat in her car and stared at the building in front of her as if were the enemy. Actually in a way it was. All she had to do was get out of her Honda, walk across the quad and inside, take her finals and sit through some boring assembly where normally the faculty recite some speech about the previous year and the hopes they have for the upcoming Fall, but that was the problem; she couldn't get out of the car. She of all people knew how others would look at her now, and although a couple of months ago she wouldn't have cared, right now she couldn't help it – she did.

Leaning her head against the steering wheel she sat and tried to gather her courage. It wouldn't be so bad if she could where her scarf all day, but the school has a very strict dress code… no exceptions. So now she was sitting in her car like a coward and wondered how she could be so pathetic to have tied her whole sense of self around something that would eventually grow back. Not understanding her own feelings about it, she could only guess how out of place she had made both her Dad and Vic feel last night during her little melt downs.

The sound of tapping on the glass made her look up and she was surprised by who she saw. Rolling down the window she could only stare at the young man before her and wonder if maybe her medicine was affecting her more than she thought.

"Hey, I heard that the last day of school was that way… you get lost?" Sam joked with a smile. Seeing her stunned expression he sighed and opened the door. "Ok, obviously that fell flat. How's this, we walk in get this done and get the hell out of here as fast as we can, deal?"

Hesitantly nodding, Jenna could only stare at him for a moment before allowing herself to be guided towards the school. She could tell that he wasn't back to a hundred percent yet, but he still looked perfect to her. "What's with the hat?" she asked suddenly, not knowing why that just jumped out of her mouth.

Sam smiled and reached up to feel the black stocking cap he was wearing. "Got a little chilly this morning… what's with the scarf?" he shot back with a smile.

Feeling the old Jenna resurface, she grinned and said flippantly, "Oh you know, just felt like being a rebel today."

Laughing, they walked up the step ignoring the looks they were being given and walked inside before Jenna started to take off her scarf. She knew people were staring, but she also knew that she had to get it over and done with. Before she got it completely untied however, a loud collective gasp was heard around her and she quickly turned around to see what was going on, not expecting to see what was going on.

Knowing that Jenna was having a hard time, and other people's reactions to her would hit her hard, he reached up and took his cap off first sending a chain reaction throughout the hallway. Seeing Jenna turn around and stare at him he smiled. "You know, you really didn't have to do this. " Seeing her confused expression he shrugged his shoulders. "It was my fault for letting someone else touch my hair and totally screw it over until I didn't have much choice in the matter. So anyway, thanks."

Completely lost in what Sam was saying, she barely noticed him reaching over and helping her remove the final knot in her scarf before draping it over her shoulders. When he leaned over and whispered in her ear, however, she heard every word. "You're still beautiful."

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The day seemed to crawl by for everyone, but it looked like the Colonel was about to have kittens as the time for the school wide assembly came closer. The phone calls that they had already been getting had caused them all wondering why they didn't just go home, it would probably be more productive. When the first call from the Dean of Students came Dean was the recipient and was wondering what was really going on. Apparently his little brother had caused some sort of commotion by showing up without hair and although the news had been a shock, Dean couldn't help but wonder what the problem was. It wasn't until the surly man threatened to keep Sam out of class that he had enough.

"Look, I've read your Dress Code as well as your Code of Conduct and I don't remember anything in there about not being able to go to classes if you don't have hair. In fact there is a guideline about the hair length being above the collar. Now excuse me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't bald be considered above the collar?" he asked, trying hard to control the temper that was rising up to the surface.

The Colonel had had a similar conversation only making it sound as if Sam had somehow found out about Jenna's plight and had showed up hairless as a jab to his daughter. After he recovered from laughing, the Colonel told the Dean of Students that if there was any interference to either of them finishing the school year, he'd make sure there was a new Dean for the next year. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to carry out his threat, but he knew he'd give it his best shot. Now though as the day was slowly ticking by he couldn't help but worry just how badly the kids' day was going. Making a decision, he opened the door.

"Musketeers, you're with me!"

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Although the day had been filled with finals, it still had seemed to creep by at a torturous pace keeping both Sam and Jenna waiting to see if the other shoe would drop. It was no secret that phone calls had already been made and neither one of them wanted to deal with idiotic bureaucracy today, they still had to get through the rest of the stupid day and move on. The classes had been quiet with the almost continuous stares from their classmates, but it was nothing more than they expected and was determined to keep going. Lunch had been full of tense moments with more than one person walking up to Jenna trying to convey misplaced sympathy. Finally it had pissed Sam off so much that he stood abruptly, grabbed his and Jenna's lunches before walking out to the atrium and locking them out there so they could finish what they could in peace, the only exception was Vic was allowed to join them in their self imposed isolation.

Now they stood in front of the auditorium and hoped that they could endure this final obstacle before they were finally free of the idiocy of the day. As Jenna paused once again, Sam pulled her closer to his side. "They're not going to bite Jenna, c'mon." Sam said as he guided her into the already filled room. He found a few empty seats by the aisle and quickly got her settled before he sensed something different in the room. Looking around he was surprised to see his brothers and the Colonel already seated and watching the procession of students filling the room. Confused, he stood there a moment before sitting down himself and motioned for Jenna to take a look. Before she could comment however, the lights dimmed and the assembly began.

Dean of Students Eugene Cummings stood at the podium and began his synopsis of the school year slowly lulling the students to a dazed consciousness. It wasn't until he finally turned the podium to his next speaker that the students seemed to collectively shift in their seats to get more comfortable. Meanwhile the Colonel and the Musketeers were having a tough time staying awake themselves, how anyone were able to stay awake was a mystery to all of them. Seeing a skinny professor walk up to the podium they were prepared for another boring speech, until he actually spoke.

"I know that our tradition is to bore you about the previous year in reflection and talk about the next year with hope. However, I and others of the faculty spoke briefly and decided to try something new. In my class several weeks ago I gave my students an assignment, to write a speech about a subject that they would have to defend their point of view. Most wrote of things that were easily defendable, but this young man took a subject and took us all by surprise and opened a door to show us all what is really outside our hallowed halls. It took quite a bit of convincing, and I'm hoping he hasn't changed his mind… Sam Winchester, would you please come up here?"

In shock, the Musketeers stared at each other before turning their attention back to their little brother. None of them had any idea what was going on, but from the looks of it it was causing a chain reaction throughout the room. As they watched Sammy walk up to the podium they could now tell what some of the fuss had been about earlier, with no hair hiding his face the scars were more pronounced giving everyone a clear view to the harm that had been done to him.

"Thank you Mr. Franklin. As he said, we had an assignment to write a speech about a subject defending our views. Most people were expecting me to write about my condition and how it affects me and others around me, but apparently I surprised them by talking about being unwanted in a family and how many children would be better off in those situations to be adopted by those who would want them, but I was thankful that I wasn't one of them since I would have missed out on my brothers, the Colonel, and Jenna. I know that Mr. Franklin was hoping I would repeat my speech, but I think my time as well as yours would be better spent if I spoke about something else; why we are here. Many believe that being in school is purely for scholastic pursuits but I say that true learning comes in different forms. Each day we all learn from each other and have the opportunity to teach each other, whether it's a helping hand with an assignment, or with a personal problem. True learning is how we all handle each and every situation, whether it's good or bad. I've learned a lot this year, mostly from those around me in how they react to others as well as themselves. Not everyone stands firm for what they believe in, but when it happens it's something to truly admire and should be encouraged. Whether it's something huge like world peace or equality for all people, or something small like making sure someone doesn't feel alone after a horrendous haircut. Each situation is an opportunity to learn from each other, to carry what we've learned before into what we do today and tomorrow, but most importantly to continue to learn from each other no matter where we are or what we're doing." Taking a deep breath he looked over at the professor who had introduced him and smiled. "Mr. Franklin, I doubt if this is what you were expecting, but I'm hoping it'll do since I doubt very seriously that there will be a repeat next year."

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Dean, Stephen, and Joseph were standing close by the Colonel's Tahoe watching the school entrance as the students exited with an exuberance that they hadn't shown in quite awhile. None of them could get Sammy's speech out of their heads and wondered just how much more was going on with the kid than they knew or understood. Turning, they saw Taylor talking to the Colonel and Jenna and wondered how her day had gone since she had such a rough start this morning.

"Any idea what's taking little bro so long?" Stephen asked as he continued to watch the entrance. They all were surprised with what they heard earlier and now just wanted to get home and make sure that the youngest member of their family never questioned just how much he was a part of them.

Shaking his head Dean had to wonder himself what was taking his brother so long, he figured the kid would have been the first one out of there as soon as Mr. Cummings had announced that they were dismissed. Now they were waiting for him to come out of the school so they all could go home and try to put today behind them.

Finally Sam walked out the doors dressed in jeans, sneakers and a hoodie with a huge smile on his face. "I PASSED!" he yelled towards them, making them laugh at the absurd notion that he wouldn't have. When he reached them he was joined by Jenna, the Colonel and Taylor who looked extremely happy for him. Turning towards them Sam smiled, "Thanks again Colonel, but I hope you won't take offense if I don't come back here next year."

As the Colonel looked at Sam he could tell that there was more to what the boy had said but he decided to wait until the impending explosion passed before he said anything. Not to be disappointed, he watched the first shocked then incredulous looks appear on each of the Musketeers faces before the real fireworks began.

"WHAT! We discussed this Sammy… you're going to school dammit!" Dean exclaimed, not caring how loud he was or if anyone was around to watch. With the others chorusing his protests he was ready to march his little brother back inside and make sure his enrollment was ensured when Sammy started laughing and shaking his head.

"No Dean, I meant I'm not coming back here next year… Couch Sanders is going to Eastside High and asked me if I wanted to be on his team. I figure that if I can deal with this place, then I can handle Eastside, right? Besides, they have a more flexible program, so if I have any setbacks I won't be penalized."

Dean stood stunned and wondered just how long his brother had been thinking about this. Seeing the approval on the Colonel's face he couldn't help but wonder if maybe Celia hadn't had the right idea after all. "So you're still going to school, but to a public school half an hour away, is that right?" he asked, trying hard to piece everything together.

"Uh huh… if you guys think I can be trusted to ride my bike that far every day." Sam said with amusement. "All I need is for one of my guardians to meet with the Principal and get my paperwork transferred."

Looking around, Dean saw the others ponder the situation and come to the same conclusion he had – public school had to be a whole hell of a lot easier than the snotty academy they'd been dealing with.

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Sam stood on the scaffolding with the paintbrush in hand trying to reach the upper trim of his latest project. Admittedly he hadn't planned on getting another house so soon but after Taylor found one two towns away while on a day trip with Mandy and it was definitely something that none of the brothers could ignore. Although it wasn't anything extravagant there was definitely a simple elegance to it that had made Mandy insist on pulling over and taking another look. Three phone calls and two visits later it was agreed that they should at least put a bid on it and see what happened, all without his knowledge until they walked in with the paperwork and asked if everything was in order. To say that it was a surprise was an understatement, but then again it made him feel good that his brothers were really interested in growing the business that he had started. It had caused a minor strain on the company's finances until everything was once again restructured, but it was nothing that they couldn't handle with a few changes in their budgets. Now they were putting the finishing touches on the house and it wouldn't be too long before the new renters would move in and help build what his brothers were adamantly calling 'little bro's college fund'.

Looking down, Sam saw Jenna and Vic mixing more paint while Dean and Joseph were replacing the front door. Mandy had insisted on doing the landscaping even though the same group that was doing the yard of their apartment was more than willing to come over and help, leaving Stephen and Taylor to help with the heavy lifting. Smiling, he couldn't help but wonder how he got so lucky. While others of his and Jenna's class were off on some vacation somewhere, he was able to get reconnected with not only Dean, but Jenna as well. It hadn't been easy, but the really good things in life rarely were. While she was still going to chemo and fighting the cancer with everything she had, he was always there to let her know that he wasn't going anywhere, that what happened before was chalked up to an extremely bad experience and they could move on from it. After all, if his brothers hadn't done the same for him then he wouldn't be where he is now, right?

Dean knew that things had been busy for his little brother the last couple of months and although he still worried, he realized that he wasn't doing it as often mainly because he was seeing the older Sammy breaking through more and more. Sure the kid still had nightmares that ran their blood cold, but he was actually smiling and laughing more making them all feel as if they were actually making great strides in keeping the kid on track. What really shocked them though was the fact that he brought home some college brochures from the area schools and was actually talking to a few admissions councilors while on summer break. Some people might not think anything about it, but it proved to him and the others that Sammy was going to keep his promise and fight as hard for as long as he could, making them all extremely proud of him.

Knowing that Jenna still wasn't out of the woods, they all took turns keeping an eye on her and made sure that if she needed something then she got it with no questions asked. It was common knowledge that Sammy had put the hurt to side and wanted just to concentrate on her and the time they had together, even going so far as to keep his own head shaved while Jenna was unable to grow hers back out. It made him proud to know that the loving kid he knew was making such a forceful comeback and he swore he'd do everything he could to make sure that it stayed that way. It hadn't been easy to sit his little brother down and hash out all the insecurities that he was feeling with his newfound psychic abilities, but they had done it and had both walked away from it feeling like they had regained 

something that neither of them had known they lost. It might have been the long way back to what they once had, but now the both knew that there was nothing that was going to separate them again, and only God would be able to help the person who tried.

"Hey Sammy, get a move on… we're all supposed to meet Katie back at the apartment in an hour and as slow as your being we'll be here till the second coming!" Dean called out, causing everyone to laugh when Sam decided to show a very special hand sign before turning around and started painting.

They might not know what tomorrow would bring, but they were together and that was more important than anything they had gone through before.


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